I tried Firehouse Subs, which was just acquired by Burger King's parent company for $1 billion, and found no reason to eat there again

Mary MeisenzahlNov 21, 2021, 21:09 IST

Businesswire

Burger King's parent company just bought Firehouse Subs for $1 billion.
The company has a history of buying chains and elevating their recognition, like with Popeyes.

Firehouse Subs was just bought by Burger King's parent company Restaurant Brands international for $1 billion this week.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I visited one of the chain's locations to test out the new sister company to Popeyes and Tim Horton's.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The restaurant is firehouse themed, like the name implies.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The theme is used fairly heavily throughout the restaurant, with plastic fire fighter hats available for kids.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Even a small garbage bin is fire themed.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Most of the interior of the restaurant is space for waiting customers alongside chips and other snacks, similar to the setup of other fast casual chains.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The menu posted above the register displays around a dozen specialty subs, or you can make your own combination of the ingredients.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

A huge display on the wall emphasizes the theme again, saying "Our subs save lives."

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

After ordering at the counter, customers are directed to a window to the kitchen, where orders come out.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I ordered inside the restaurant, but there was also a shelf for picking up online orders.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The rest of the interior is made up of a few booths and a TV in the corner.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There was also a Coca-Cola freestyle machine.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The firehouse theme extended even into the far corner of the restaurant, with fire hats and uniforms hanging on the wall.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Outside, Firehouse also has a drive-thru, unlike most competing sandwich chain locations.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The one-lane drive-thru had a lit up menu board.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

While I visited the store, not many people actually used the drive-thru.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

After about a 15-minute wait, we got our food.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The subs came wrapped in paper and then inside cardboard containers.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I appreciated the additional cardboard containers — they prevented the bag and sides from getting soggy from the subs.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We both ordered medium subs, which worked out to about $8 each.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

A medium sub was about seven or eight inches.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I was surprised that they looked a bit narrow and small when I opened the boxes.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I ordered the turkey bacon ranch on wheat bread.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It was packed full of meat and vegetables, but the bread wasn't soggy from the ranch. Overall it was a very good sandwich.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

My fiance Joe ordered the New York Steamer on white bread, which is made with brisket, pastrami, provolone, mustard, and mayonnaise.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It got his approval, though "I wish the cashier hadn't talked me out of the large sub," he said.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We also agreed that we would've liked more options for bread besides just white, wheat, and gluten-free.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

They were still good though, but probably not enough to make us choose Firehouse over Jimmy John's if we're craving sandwiches.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Firehouse also sells some hot side dishes, so I ordered the Mac and Cheese.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The side was less impressive. It wasn't bad, but at $4 it didn't seem that much better than a box of Kraft I could make at home.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The only truly disappointing part of the meal was the pickle served on the side of the subs.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It was a thin sliver of cucumber that did not resemble my idea of what a pickle should be, even at the bare minimum.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I don't think the chain will live or die based on pickle quality, but it was still disappointing.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I think Firehouse Subs could be successful for RBI with its easily identifiable theme and good sandwiches, but right now it has plenty of competition in Subway and Jimmy John's.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I think Firehouse Subs could be successful for RBI with its easily identifiable theme and good sandwiches, but right now it has plenty of competition in Subway and Jimmy John's.

I ate Wendy's breakfast as the chain pumps $25 million into promoting it, and saw how it's just as good as McDonald's

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I tried Firehouse Subs, which was just acquired by Burger King's parent company for $1 billion, and found no reason to eat there again

Firehouse Subs was just bought by Burger King's parent company Restaurant Brands international for $1 billion this week.

I visited one of the chain's locations to test out the new sister company to Popeyes and Tim Horton's.

The restaurant is firehouse themed, like the name implies.

The theme is used fairly heavily throughout the restaurant, with plastic fire fighter hats available for kids.

Even a small garbage bin is fire themed.

Most of the interior of the restaurant is space for waiting customers alongside chips and other snacks, similar to the setup of other fast casual chains.

The menu posted above the register displays around a dozen specialty subs, or you can make your own combination of the ingredients.

A huge display on the wall emphasizes the theme again, saying "Our subs save lives."

After ordering at the counter, customers are directed to a window to the kitchen, where orders come out.

I ordered inside the restaurant, but there was also a shelf for picking up online orders.

The rest of the interior is made up of a few booths and a TV in the corner.

There was also a Coca-Cola freestyle machine.

The firehouse theme extended even into the far corner of the restaurant, with fire hats and uniforms hanging on the wall.

Outside, Firehouse also has a drive-thru, unlike most competing sandwich chain locations.

The one-lane drive-thru had a lit up menu board.

While I visited the store, not many people actually used the drive-thru.

After about a 15-minute wait, we got our food.

The subs came wrapped in paper and then inside cardboard containers.

I appreciated the additional cardboard containers — they prevented the bag and sides from getting soggy from the subs.

We both ordered medium subs, which worked out to about $8 each.

A medium sub was about seven or eight inches.

I was surprised that they looked a bit narrow and small when I opened the boxes.

I ordered the turkey bacon ranch on wheat bread.

It was packed full of meat and vegetables, but the bread wasn't soggy from the ranch. Overall it was a very good sandwich.

My fiance Joe ordered the New York Steamer on white bread, which is made with brisket, pastrami, provolone, mustard, and mayonnaise.

It got his approval, though "I wish the cashier hadn't talked me out of the large sub," he said.

We also agreed that we would've liked more options for bread besides just white, wheat, and gluten-free.

They were still good though, but probably not enough to make us choose Firehouse over Jimmy John's if we're craving sandwiches.

Firehouse also sells some hot side dishes, so I ordered the Mac and Cheese.

The side was less impressive. It wasn't bad, but at $4 it didn't seem that much better than a box of Kraft I could make at home.

The only truly disappointing part of the meal was the pickle served on the side of the subs.

It was a thin sliver of cucumber that did not resemble my idea of what a pickle should be, even at the bare minimum.

I don't think the chain will live or die based on pickle quality, but it was still disappointing.

I think Firehouse Subs could be successful for RBI with its easily identifiable theme and good sandwiches, but right now it has plenty of competition in Subway and Jimmy John's.