14 Pros and Cons of Working for Firehouse Subs

About 30 years ago, Chis and Robin Sorensen, who served in the police force and as firefighters, decided to open a food business called Firehouse Subs.

With over 1,250 restaurants, they know customers love delicious subs with great ingredients.

They serve a variety of hot and cold subs, salads, sides, snacks, soda, and bottled water.

The kids’ menu serves smaller subs with a beverage and sweet treats.

The restaurant caters for businesses and special events for consumers.

Firehouse Subs are in several states in the United States. 

Pros of Working For Firehouse Subs

A Variety of Entry Level Positions

Firehouse Subs has a variety of entry-level jobs that provide training in food service.

Employees often do more than one job when working.

Cashiers take money for orders, sweep, clean tables, and deliver orders to customers.

The ATC prepares and weighs the cheese and meat for the sandwiches ordered by customers and puts them in the correct steamer for sandwich orders.

Firehouse Subs steam their meat to kill bacteria and for customer safety. 

The Bread Station worker cuts the bread for different sized subs, puts the bread on the conveyor so it goes through the oven for hot sandwiches.

They assemble the meatball subs, make sides and soups, and send everything through the oven, even bacon.

Sub Prep workers put the right vegetables and condiments on the hot and cold subs.

Rescue workers place the correct meats on the subs and the sub is bagged, put on a tray, or boxed for takeout.

 Rescue workers are often responsible for making salads too.

The slicer weighs all the meats and cheese and slices them very thin to make the subs.

This is a labor-intensive job. 

They Hire High School and College Students 

They are a good place for high school and college students to gain valuable work experience.

Firehouse Subs hires high school students and college students to work and provides training.

Some states will hire teens at 16 years old and others require them to be at least 18 years old to work.

For some jobs, you must be 18 years or older to perform the tasks.

Workers should have good communication skills, be customer oriented, and be willing to learn. 

Health Benefits 

Part-time workers do not usually get health benefits.

Full-time employees and managers will get health insurance, dental, vision, and 401K.

This may vary depending on location and management. 

Discounted Food and Training 

Many restaurants offer employees a discount on their food and some locations provide free meals. 

They train workers to perform the task in their job and help them obtain new skills and work experience.

Employees must wait for a break or after their shift to eat sandwiches and meals.

Most shops give 50% off sandwiches and other food products, but not free meals. 

Good Manager and Fellow Employees

Many employees of Firehouse Subs reported that the managers and employees were cooperative and helpful.

Some of the managers are firefighters or former firefighters that own the restaurant.

They raise money for first responders and work at the restaurant when they are not fighting fires.

Some firefighters opened restaurants after retirement to give back to the community.

Working with cooperative managers and employees makes the job a positive work experience.

Firehouse Subs has the Firehouse Subs Safety Foundation which donates money and contributes to local fire stations and first responders.

They supply them with helmets, thermal imaging cameras, all-terrain vehicles, radios, and more.

Shift Leader and Management Positions Available

For those employees that want a career in food service and show initiative, there are opportunities to become shift leaders and managers.

Often, those willing to work extra shifts, learn the menu, and fill in for other employees do well.

Sometimes employees must be willing to travel to another location to get full-time positions.

Employees say managers look for a good attitude, willing to be flexible, and employees that know the menu well. 

Firehouse Subs Have a Professional Dress Code

They provide workers with a t-shirt, a name tag, a black hat with visors, and an apron.

Black pants and comfortable shoes are required.

Some restaurants provide workers with a red or black tee shirt.

The uniform provided depends on the location and management of the restaurant.

Dress requirements are strict but vary from location to location. 

Cons of Working for Firehouse Subs

Minimum Wage and No Tipping Allowed

Most Firehouse Subs do not allow workers to receive tips.

When working in lower-paying jobs, tips for minimum-wage jobs help employees earn more money to cover living expenses.

Most entry-level jobs at Firehouse Subs pay minimum wage.

Full Time and Manager Jobs are Not Available At all Locations 

Becoming a shift supervisor or manager is not easy to obtain.

Employees often have to transfer to another location to get the job they want.

Managers look for ambition and excellent work ethics.

Employees willing to work overtime, fill in for other employees, learn the menu, provide good customer service, are organized and clean have a better chance of getting full-time jobs. 

Rude Customers and Uncooperative Employees 

Most customers can be reasonable, but some are rude and loud.

Employees have to clean tables or areas where customers have left a mess.

When workers get orders wrong, some customers are angry about the mistake.

Some customers are not easy to please. 

Some employees are not easy to work with or get along with.

There are always personality conflicts.

Some employees are rude to customers, come in drunk or high, make mistakes constantly with orders, do not dress appropriately, or lack organizational skills.

They do not want to fill in for others or help when needed. 

No Drug Testing And More About Background Checks

Most restaurants do not perform drug tests on new employees. 

Managers trust the people they hire and do not think they have to do this.

This can vary from location to location.

Most managers will send employees home if they are drunk or high.

This can lead to being fired from the job.

They do background checks and may look at your social media pages.

If they find the material offensive, potential employees may not be hired.

Some employees say they only do background checks if they have suspicions about a potential employee.

Hours Vary and Employees May Have To Fill In For Other Employees

Sometimes hours vary and they will not be able to provide employees with as many hours as they want or need.

Some restaurants require employees to work different shifts and fill in for other employees that are sick or did not show up.

If you are seeking a part-time flexible job, this may not meet the requirements.

Some locations are short-staffed, and this leads to managers expecting employees to work longer hours and different shifts.

This may not work for high school and college students seeking time to devote to their studies and other activities. 

If You Do Not Like Customer Service, You May Not Like the Work

If employees do not like serving customers and working as part of a team, they will not like working at the restaurant.

Working at Firehouse Subs requires cooperating with other employees, serving customers, being polite and courteous, cleaning, and performing routine tasks consistently.

Potential employees should ask questions during the interview to see if it is a good fit for their personality.

Employees with an interest in working in food service and learning new skills will find this a good fit. 

Some Restaurants Are Poorly Managed 

Some employees have reported that some restaurants are poorly managed, short-staffed, and hard to work for.

Workers are not given breaks, listened to, or compensated for extra shifts.

Some restaurants do not train the workers very well.

Obviously, management has to do with this issue and their interest in their employees and providing a good service for customers. 

14 Pros and Cons of Working for Firehouse Subs – Summary Table

Pros of Working For Firehouse Subs	Cons of Working for Firehouse Subs
A Variety of Entry Level Positions	Minimum Wage and No Tipping Allowed
They Hire High School and College Students	Full Time and Manager Jobs Not Available At all Locations
Health Benefits	Rude Customers and Uncooperative Employees
Discounted Food and Training	No Drug Testing And More About Background Checks
Good Manager and Fellow Employees	Hours Vary and Employees May Have To Fill In For Other Employees
Shift Leader and Management Positions Available	If You Do Not Like Customer Service, You May Not Like the Work
Firehouse Subs Have a Professional Dress Code	Some Restaurants Are Poorly Managed

Should You Work For Firehouse Subs?

If a person is healthy and physically fit and has an interest in food service jobs, this may be the right job for you.

They offer flexible jobs for high school and college students and training.

Employees should like working as part of a team and serving customers.

An interest in making subs and other dishes will help with getting ahead.

They have part-time and full-time jobs available for older adults who want to be managers or work a flexible schedule with children at home.

They offer a discount on subs and offer training to employees.

Firehouse Subs has many entry-level jobs for high school students and college.

Those that like the job responsibilities of serving customers will do well.

They have good benefits for full-time employees and managers.

If a person does not like preparing food and dealing with customers, this job would not be a good fit.

It is a fast-paced environment that requires manual dexterity and the ability to pay attention to detail. 

When employees do not like cleaning, this can be a problem because food service requires constant cleaning to keep conditions safe and sanitary for employees and customers.

Check your attitude toward the job.

If you are willing to do the tasks requested, it should work out.