Firehouse Subs Serving Up Sandwiches and Community Service in Encinitas

There are lots of ingredients that Encinitas residents can get on their sandwich at Firehouse Subs, which opened last month at 132 N. El Camino Real.

But perhaps the best of them is altruism.

Firehouse Subs was founded in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida by brothers Chris and Robin Sorenson. Both veterans of police and fire service, the company’s mission is to help those public safety heroes who risk their lives everyday.

From now until July, Firehouse Subs is holding a fundraising campaign where guests can add a quarter to their Hook & Ladder Sub combo, creating a Life-Saving Combo, and the Sorensons will match every quarter out of their own pockets.

The program has raised more than $20,000 across the country since April alone.

Bill Mutz, who is a franchisee of the Encinitas location along with his wife Rose and son Glenn, said that giving back is one of the things that drew him to Firehouse.

“The community involvement of the company is very real, and it aligns with some of the core values of our family,” Mutz told Patch.

Mutz, who opened California’s first Firehouse Subs last year in Oceanside, said that the restaurant has also done fundraisers for various disaster relief efforts, most recently helping raise money for victims in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado.

“It just gives people another reason for their coming here,” he said.

The Encinitas location is the third Firehouse Subs statewide, joining Oceanside and Point Loma. Mutz said he has plans on opening a location in Carlsbad in about a year. Since 1994, the chain has expanded into 35 states and has more than 600 stores nationwide. 

The restaurant is adorned with actual fireman’s gear and memorabilia donated by the Encinitas Fire Department, including fire coats, helmets, boots and more. Also featured in the restaurant is a giant mural depicting the Encinitas Fire Department on scene of a beach fire.

The mural was painted by an artist that Firehouse Subs commissions to paint customized murals for new store openings. Each mural is supposed to capture specific elements of a town. Mutz said it cost about $7,000 for the artist to create the mural, which he does at studio space at Firehouse’s corporate offices in Jacksonville.

Strangely enough, the Encinitas mural shows one of the firefighters actually taking a cell phone picture of the fire.

“At first, I wasn’t really a fan of it,” said Mutz of the mural, “but over time it’s really grown on me. I think it’s kind of funny and charming.”

Altruism and public service aside, Firehouse is a restaurant first, and foremost. Mutz, an Orange County resident who was formerly a manager at a pharmaceutical company, says he strives to give people an enjoyable experience.

“We really push customer service first and foremost,” he said. “Our staff will do table visits, refill drinks, ask about the food. And if something is not right, we’ll make it right. We just want people to stay in here and enjoy the experience, not just the food.”

Mutz most popular specialty subs are the Hook & Ladder (smoked turkey and Virginia honey ham smothered with Monterey Jack cheese), the Italian (Genoa salami, pepperoni, ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing, and seasonings), and the New York Steamer (Corned beef brisket, pastrami, melted provolone, mustard, mayo, and Italian dressing).

The restaurant also features a Coca-Cola Freestyle drink machine, which offers 120 different kinds of drinks under the Coca-Cola brand, all in one machine. The machines, which are a few years old now, are growing in popularity at restaurants across the country.

But Mutz said Firehouse Subs is the only national restaurant chain to feature the machines in each of its stores. 

He said that when the store opened in early May, they hired 32 employees, almost all of whom are from the Encintas area. So far, the response from residents has been nothing but positive. 

"It's really been terrific," he said. "The large majority of people have really enjoyed it. It's a good sandwich."

Editor's Full Disclosure: (I tried one of the sandwiches. The bread was amazing. Much better than you would expect to find from a chain restaurant. The portions of meat are also very generous. I will be going back.)