Firehouse Subs, the Jacksonville-grown company sold in December 2021 to Restaurant Brands International Inc. for $1 billion, relocated to an expanded office in Deerwood North.
The new headquarters is at 4600 Touchton Road E., Building 100, Suite 300. It east of Tinseltown north of Gate Parkway.
“We moved to a new state-of-the-art office in a premier location in the heart of Jacksonville’s southside, featuring an open concept to fuel collaboration,” said a Firehouse spokesperson said May 7.
It is about 10 miles north of its old office at 12735 Gran Bay Parkway, Building 100, Suite 150, in Flagler Center.
A spokesperson, who asked not to be identified by name or title, said Firehouse relocated April 1 into 40,000 square feet, where it has 125 employees.
That is more space than its previous office, which had about 31,525 square feet of space.
David Hillegas, managing director with Cushman & Wakefield Jacksonville, represented Firehouse Subs.
Victor Hughes, a broker with Vanderbilt Office Properties in Jacksonville, represented Touchton Road landlord SREIT Deerwood Park North LLC.
That joint venture between Starwood Real Estate Income Trust Inc., Vanderbilt Office Properties and Trinity Capital Advisors bought the property in 2019 as part of a portfolio.
Deerwood North is north of Butler Boulevard and east of Southside Boulevard. The office park is at northwest Gate Parkway and Touchton Road.
The spokesperson said the initial improvements primarily were finishes to the existing space. A second phase will need a permit from the city and will include “a state-of-the-art innovation kitchen and a new mural studio for our mural artists.”
Firehouse Subs locations feature interior wall murals that reflect the community.
Firehouse Subs growth
When RBI said in November 2021 it would buy Firehouse Restaurant Group Inc., parent of the nationwide Firehouse Subs fast-casual chain of almost 1,000 restaurants, it said it would keep the Firehouse Subs restaurant chain headquartered in Jacksonville.
In North America, RBI also owns the Tim Hortons, Burger King and Popeyes restaurant chains, which, along with Firehouse Subs, have more than 32,000 restaurants worldwide as of March 31, 2025.
RBI’s principal executive offices are in Miami. It says its brands are headquartered in their home markets where they were founded: Canada for Tim Hortons and the U.S. for Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs.
As of March 31, 2025, Firehouse Subs operated 1,352 restaurants, up 5.9% from 1,277 in March 2024.
As of the end of 2024, RBI reported nearly $45 billion in annual sales and more than 32,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries and territories. Of the restaurants, about 95% were franchised.
Firehouse Subs had 1,345 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada and 26 internationally, totaling 1,371 units generating almost $1.25 billion in sales. Of those, 1,303 are franchised locations.
An RBI investor presentation in February said Firehouse added more than 40 franchised units in 2024 and aspires to reach about 2,000 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada by 2028.
Firehouse Subs is known for its firefighter-inspired menu, such as the Hook & Ladder Sub made with Virginia honey ham, smoked turkey breast and melted Monterey Jack.
Firehouse steams its meats and cheeses and serves its subs on toasted private-recipe rolls.
Firehouse Subs origins
Firehouse was founded in 1994 by firefighter brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen.
In 2016, Robin Sorensen said the then 22-year-old company was moving 110 employees from six buildings in Mandarin to Flagler Center by Jan. 15, 2017.
Firehouse Subs had been operating in six buildings, primarily along Kori Road and another facility on Shad Road.
The move allowed Firehouse Subs to almost double in size from nearly 17,000 square feet now to 31,525 square feet.
He said the move accomplished three goals: It solved parking issues, offering 189 spaces; it upgraded the office space; and it provided a convenient location for staff.
Baptist Medical Center South and Citicorp are a few of the organizations that operate in Flagler Center, a high-profile development that welcomes drivers heading north into Jacksonville along Interstate 95.
At that time in 2016, Sorensen said Firehouse expected the 1,000th Firehouse Subs restaurant to open soon.
The main Kori Road operation began as a single office originally occupied by Firehouse Subs partner Stephen Joost in the mid-1990s.
It projected 2016 sales of $710 million. Of its 999 units, 32 were company-owned and the rest were franchised.
It operated across 44 states and internationally in Puerto Rico. Expansion plans call for moves into the Northeast, West Coast, Canada and Mexico.
Robin Sorensen remains associated with the brand as chairman of the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which has granted more than $100 million of lifesaving equipment to first responders and public safety organizations across North America.