Firehouse Subs Co-Founder Chris Sorensen Dies at 65

Chris Sorensen, who helped build Firehouse Subs into a major American sandwich chain alongside his younger brother, Robin, has died at 65, according to his obituary. The former firefighter co-founded the business in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1994 and later helped establish a foundation supporting emergency personnel across the United States and Canada. The brothers opened their first restaurant with less than $100 in their checking accounts, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.

Their business eventually expanded to more than 1,200 locations after Restaurant Brands International acquired Firehouse Subs in 2021 for $1 billion. Sorensen's career before the restaurant business included professional music and emergency services. According to his obituary, he performed as a guitarist with bands including Huey Lewis and the News, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

He later followed his father, Robert, into firefighting. Sorensen worked for the Brevard County Fire Department and the Jacksonville International Airport Fire and Rescue Department before spending 10 years as an engineer and emergency medical technician with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, where his father also worked.

Firehouse Subs developed a distinctive menu featuring steamed meats and cheeses served on warm, toasted rolls. Sorensen also shaped the restaurants' interiors, commissioning custom murals that reflected fire and police services in each location's community. His interest in historical artifacts extended to the company's history, which he helped preserve as its unofficial archivist.

Robin Sorensen recalled an unexpected moment from the chain's early days in an interview with the Jacksonville Daily Record in 2020. The first order at the original restaurant was two fully loaded hot dogs rather than a submarine sandwich, with approximately 10 ingredients on each. "We were so focused on the subs, we weren’t prepared for that order. Needless to say, it was a long ticket time," Robin Sorensen said.

The brothers also established the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in 2005 to provide first responders with life-saving equipment, tools, and education. The foundation's work became a significant part of the company's broader community-support efforts. According to Sorensen's obituary, the foundation has awarded more than $118 million in grants to 7,700 departments in the United States and Canada.

Restaurant Brands International purchased Firehouse Subs in 2021 for $1 billion. The company also owns Burger King, and Firehouse Subs had grown to more than 1,200 locations following the acquisition, according to the source report.