Chris Sorensen, who co-founded the popular sandwich chain Firehouse Subs, has passed away at the age of 65.
Interestingly, before his venture into the restaurant world, Sorensen was a professional guitarist. He even played with notable bands like Huey Lewis and the News, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, and Earth, Wind & Fire, as noted in his obituary.
He later decided to follow in his father Robert’s footsteps and became a firefighter. Chris worked with the Brevard County Fire Department and the Jacksonville International Airport Fire and Rescue Department, eventually spending a decade as an engineer and EMT at Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, where his father was employed as well.
In 1994, Chris teamed up with his younger brother, Robin, to establish Firehouse Subs, launching their first restaurant in Jacksonville, their hometown. Remarkably, they started out with less than $100 in their checking accounts, as reported by Nation’s Restaurant News.
Robin Sorensen recounted that the very first order at their flagship store was actually two hot dogs loaded with toppings—definitely not what they expected. “We were so focused on the subs, we weren’t prepared for that order. Needless to say, it was a long ticket time,” he mentioned in an interview with the Jacksonville Daily Record back in 2020.
Before long, Firehouse Subs became known for its hearty sandwiches, featuring generous portions of steamed meats and cheeses on warm, toasted rolls.
Chris also played a significant role in creating a unique atmosphere in each Firehouse Subs restaurant, incorporating custom murals that reflected local fire and police services in the decor. He was quite the collector of historical artifacts, taking it upon himself to ensure the brand’s legacy was maintained by acting as an unofficial archivist.
After the brand was sold in 2021 for a staggering one billion dollars to Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King among others, Firehouse Subs expanded to over 1,200 locations.
In 2005, Chris and Robin established the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing first responders with essential life-saving equipment, tools, and training. So far, the foundation has distributed more than $118 million in grants to 7,700 departments across the US and Canada, according to his obituary.
Firehouse Subs has yet to release a statement regarding his passing.
