Right off I noticed their cute dalmation themed tables. Oh and looky, aren't we special :)
There's a cute fire hydrant container for their datil pepper hot sauce. Adorbs! (sorry, co-founder in the background).
The co-founder, Robin Sorensen, came to share his story and the story of Firehouse Subs with us. Firehouse Subs is all about 3 things: hearty and flavorful food, heartfelt service, and public safety. I found him to be really relateable and funny. PJ and I both liked him alot. His father was a firefighter and that is how the name and design of the restaurant came about. He explained how Firehouse Subs originated in Jacksonville, FL but has expanded to over 600 locations across the nation. He seems like he really cares about quality food, even if it means paying more for the good stuff. He also seemed very genuine, that he really cared about customer service and giving back to the community. He told a story of how a rude customer went off on him once for not having honey mustard, and he wanted to tell her to leave but instead went and got her a honey mustard from Honey Baked Ham nearby and brought that back for her and said here's one for your sandwich now and I promise to have that in my restaurant next time you come. Sounds like he would go the distance to make a customer happy and keep him/her coming back for more.
To further demonstrate their desire to give back, he explained how they went to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and Sandy, as well as to Haiti, to serve people after natural disasters. That's my kinda place.
First, can I say that I love their warm buns. They are different from Jimmy John's because they serve hot subs on warm buns. And they're killin Subway. Subway isn't even on the same level.
The first sub we got to try was the Hook and Ladder, with smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham, and melted Monterey Jack, served Fully Involved meaning with mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mustard. This was PJ's fave, and I was surprised because it had honey ham on it and he usually doesn't like ham. But you can't deny this goodness. I loved it too!
Next up, the New York Steamer, with corned beef brisket, pastrami, melted provolone, mustard, mayo, and Italian dressing. PJ's was a little drowning in the Italian dressing, but mine was perfect. I loved this sub as well, the meat was sooooo tender. They get this tender from steaming the meat. I wish my grocery store deli would take note!
Next we were served the Italian Sub, with Genoa salami, pepperoni, ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing, and seasonings, served Fully Involved as well. This was my least favorite of all of them because it was just a basic Italian Sub and there were just others that stood out more. Still good, just not my fave.
And the finale.... the Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket, with USDA Choice beef brisket smoked over hickory for 16+ hours, then smothered in melted cheddar and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and mayo. Again, the meat was oh so tender. PJ didn't like this one, that man I tell you, he's crazy. He said he doesn't like bbq sauce and cheese together really. I loved it. And Sweet Baby Ray's is what I use at home so loved that they used this brand as well. I ordered this again when we went back the next day :)
We also got a treat at the end, a fresh made lemon cookie.
They even gave us some more goodies in addition to the yummy food! A bucket with a shirt, a USB, and some more info on Firehouse Subs. Oh, and some gift cards to keep us coming back for more. Yes please!
I had to get a shot of all their hot sauces. Now that's a hot sauce stash if I ever did see one!
We liked it so much that we went back the next day to the Blue Ash location. As we expected, the service wasn't as good... no one greeting us at the door as we entered. I'm sure that happened at the blogger event because the co-founder was there so they were on their best behavior. Unfortunately, the employees behind the counter weren't the friendliest either. So they missed the mark a bit on the "heartfelt service" they boast of. It also could have been cleaner... there was spilled pop on the pop station, and when we went to sit at a table there was crap on it and it needed to be clean. So this location didn't score big in those areas, but the food was still just as good! I decided to try their Cherry Limeade that they make there, and it didn't have any lime flavor at all to me, just kinda a watered down cherry flavor. So I was a little disappointed there because I love cherry limeade and it's their own signature drink.
Aside from those things, we'll be back for the food! Please, pretty please, open one up on the westside of Cincinnati! We'll be regulars for sure :)
(On a side note, what is up with blogger's spacing issues?!? It is driving me nuts!).
Peace, and bacon grease!
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