Subway vs. Firehouse Subs

 For years I have been a huge subway fan. Whenever I’m out and want to get lunch, subway is my go-to. My Dad is the one who originally introduced me to Subway, and we often eat it together. He even has own custom sandwich that I’ve modified that I always get every time I go.

 I heard about Firehouse Subs from a friend. I wasn’t sure if the brand was new, but they were new to the area and my friend claimed that they were good, maybe even better then Subway. I wanted to argue but I hadn’t actually tried Firehouse Subs yet. So, I decided I’d give it a shot and see which one is better. First, I’ll give some background information on both of them.

The first Subway opened in August 1965, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was founded by 17 teen year old Fred DeLuca and nuclear physicist Dr. Peter Buck. The principles that Fred and Dr. Buck had for the franchise are the same as they are today. Value customers and provide satisfactory service, have fresh ingredients and better sandwiches, and always strive to improve the brand. Today Subway has around 37,000 restaurants, all working to bring better their communities with their exceptional sandwiches.

“The Subway Story.” Subway Order, www.subway.com/en-us/aboutus/history. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

 

Chris and Robin Sorenson come from a family servicemen, especially firefighters. Firehouse Subs now have over 1,200 restaurants and are still growing. Their main focus is on getting top notch ingredients for their sandwiches. They also put a lot of thought into where their locations are built in the hopes that one day everyone will have a local Firehouse Subs.

“Our Story.” Firehouse Subs, www.firehousesubs.com/our-story. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

 

Pricing and Pickup:

When I ordered my sandwiches, I ordered them online. Both of their menus were fairly easy to navigate and find what I wanted, which was an Italian sandwich. However, when I went to pick the location, Firehouse Subs couldn’t pin where I was, so I put in my address and it gave me some options, the closest one being 5.6 miles away, or so I thought. After I placed the order, I put the address in to google maps and it was all the way in Burbank. I was ordering off the website so there must have been something wrong with it. So that was a bit irritating, but Subways worked just fine. I live in Kennewick and I later remembered there’s a spot about fifteen minutes from my house that has a Subway and a Firehouse subs. So, that’s where I should have gone.

I got the smallest size from both stores and Subway’s ended up being $10.10 while Firehouse Subs was $6.70. Considering that Subway’s sandwich is 6 inches and Firehouse Subs was 4 inches, it’s hard to say who’s was cheaper but I think Firehouse Subs had the better price.        

 

First glance:

At first glance the size difference is obvious. Subway’s 6 inch looks twice the size of the 4 inch firehouse sub. Although the Subway sandwich looks neater, seeing the meats and sauce sticking out of the Firehouse Sub, even though it looks messy, made my mouth water. The buns for the firehouse sub where a little bit toasted unlike Subway’s; however if you order in store you can request your buns to be toasted. Subway’s bun was connected while Firehouse Subs was two separate pieces which made it hard for all the ingredients to stay in.

Ingredients:  

Although I ordered an Italian from both stores, naturally the ingredients were a little different. The Firehouse Subs sandwich, as listed on the website, had “Genoa salami, pepperoni, honey ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing, and seasonings, served with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and deli mustard”. The bread comes from comes from a purposefully picked bakery in Atlanta. The mayonnaise is provided by Duke’s mayonnaise.

Fantozzi, Joanna. “Things You Didn’t Know about Firehouse Subs.” Mashed, Mashed, 6 Mar. 2023, www.mashed.com/124699/things-didnt-know-firehouse-subs/.

 

Subway’s Italian sandwich had “Genoa salami, spicy pepperoni, savory Black Forest ham, 2x provolone cheese, crisp lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and MVP Parmesan Vinaigrette on Artisan Italian bread” as described on their website. Most of these ingredients come from family farms in Canada. The tomatoes and red onions come from Ontario and Quebec. Most of their meats also come from Canadian livestock. Looking at this, the Firehouse Sub has more ingredients, and they look delicious. Especially the melted provolone. The spicy pepperoni on the subway sandwich sounds really good too.

“Good Food Starts at Home” Subway Order, 2023, www.subway.com/en-ca/aboutus/socialresponsibility.

 

 

Taste:

I started with Subway’s sandwich. When I took a bite, the first thing I noticed was the bread. The outside was crunchy, and the inside was fluffy, a perfect combination. Then I tasted the cheese and lettuce which really helped set up that Italian flavor. The tomato was fresh and flavorful, a testament to Subway’s motto “eat fresh”. I was a little disappointed that the meat all kind of blended together. After a second bite I could taste the ham and peperoni more clearly and separate. The spicy peperoni did stand out though and it was delicious. The vinaigrette of course brought the entire sandwich together, cementing that Italian flavor.

Then I took a bite of the Firehouse Sub. As soon as I bit into it the sauces exploded in my mouth, the mayo, deli mustard, and Italian dressing blended perfectly together. I could tell right away that it was true that they used homemade sauce because I’d never tasted anything like it. The bread was soft even though the outside was lightly toasted. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy, adding a bit of freshness to the grease and sauces. The tomato and meats weren’t as strong as in the Subway sandwich, but they still provided good flavor that supported the sub sandwich overall. After a second bite I focused on the meats, and I enjoyed the greasiness of them

Conclusion:

Looking back over everything there were good and not as good things about both. Neither of them was a bad sandwich though. I would say that Subway’s online system was easier to navigate than Firehouse Subs’, but firehouse’s pricing was better. Both of them looked appealing and Subways was a bit bigger, but Firehouse’s looked nice and juicy. Firehouse’s ingredients were more abundant and unique than subways. As far as taste goes Firehouse Sub tasted better but subway tasted fresher. To my surprise I think firehouse subs might be equal to and possibly even better than subway. I wouldn’t suggest one over the other, they are both definitely worth trying.

Sources:

“No Title.” Firehouse Subs, www.firehousesubs.com/menu/picker-662b4dce-b687-4d28-9e1f-c6bfe738ca00. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

“Our Story.” Firehouse Subs, www.firehousesubs.com/our-story. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

“The Subway Story.” Subway Order, www.subway.com/en-us/aboutus/history. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

Fantozzi, Joanna. “Things You Didn’t Know about Firehouse Subs.” Mashed, Mashed, 6 Mar. 2023, www.mashed.com/124699/things-didnt-know-firehouse-subs/.

“Good Food Starts at Home.” Subway Order, 2023, www.subway.com/en-ca/aboutus/socialresponsibility.