Firehouse Subs Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Firehouse Subs franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Firehouse Subs discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Item 19 not provided in FDD excerpts. No earnings claims or net income estimates disclosed.
What a Firehouse Subs franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 11% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $405,350 – $1,577,750 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty, 5% system fund contribution, $1,200 MIS annual fee, development incentives up to $150,000 available.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Firehouse Subs system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 1,291 |
| Ceased operations | 9 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 6 |
| Transferred to new owners | 88 |
| Closure rate | 0.7% of outlets |
88 transfers in 2025; 9 ceased operations; 6 terminations indicate moderate turnover.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Firehouse Subs worth it? — how it compares to 22 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 11% of sales | steeper than 81% of sandwich & sub shops franchises |
| Startup cost | from $405,350 | cheaper than most (median $436,176) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 0.7% of outlets | better than most (median 1.2%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 12 | more litigious than 83% of peers |
Benchmarked against every sandwich & sub shops franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Firehouse Subs
The franchisor's framing: Item 19 not provided in FDD excerpts. No earnings claims or net income estimates disclosed… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Firehouse Subs franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Firehouse Subs franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $405,350–$1,577,750, including a $20,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Firehouse Subs franchise owners make?
- Firehouse Subs discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Firehouse Subs franchise fees?
- Firehouse Subs's FDD discloses a $20,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 11% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty, 5% system fund contribution, $1,200 MIS annual fee, development incentives up to $150,000 available.
- What is the Firehouse Subs franchise profit margin?
- Firehouse Subs discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Firehouse Subs franchise failure rate?
- 88 transfers in 2025; 9 ceased operations; 6 terminations indicate moderate turnover.
- How many Firehouse Subs locations are there?
- Firehouse Subs's FDD reports 1,291 total outlets, with 9 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 88 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Firehouse Subs have complaints or lawsuits?
- Firehouse Subs discloses 12 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Firehouse Subs franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Firehouse Subs scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 11% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 12 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Firehouse Subs to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 35581-202603-09 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Firehouse Subs or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.