Firehouse Subs franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Firehouse Subs franchise takes $405,350 – $875,950 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $26,200. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 6% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 5%. To qualify, Firehouse Subs asks for $80,000 in liquid cash and a $300,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Firehouse Subs franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $26,200 | $26,200 | $26,200 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $405,350 | $875,950 | $405,350 to $875,950 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $300,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $80,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $405,350 | $875,950 | $405,350 to $875,950 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 6% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 5% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Firehouse Subs cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Firehouse Subs's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Firehouse Subs's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $405,350 — about 1.4× the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $26,200 — about 25% below the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Firehouse Subs's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2021: began the window at 451 units; 846 units opened, 184 closed, ending at 1,125 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Firehouse Subs or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Firehouse Subs for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Firehouse Subs is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Firehouse Subs grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Firehouse Subs can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Firehouse Subs franchise
Firehouse Subs is a food & beverage franchisor with 1,125 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2021, it began the window at 451 units; its filings record 846 unit openings and 184 closures, ending at 1,125 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is FRG, LLC.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
The franchise is for the establishment and operation of a restaurant which offers and serves large-portion hot submarine style sandwiches in a unique fire-fighting atmosphere and decorum at an economical price under the FIREHOUSE SUBS trade name and business system (a "FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant" or "Restaurant").
Firehouse Subs franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Firehouse Subs franchise cost?
- $405,350 – $875,950 all-in to open, per Firehouse Subs's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Firehouse Subs units are there?
- 1,125 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Firehouse Subs's units held up?
- 92.5% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).