They Met at Firehouse Subs, Now They’re Married and Opening Their Own Restaurant in Bangor
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They Met at Firehouse Subs, Now They’re Married and Opening Their Own Restaurant in Bangor

January 30, 2020 // Franchising.com // BANGOR, Maine - Firehouse Subs announces the grand opening of its first location in Bangor, Maine at 920 Stillwater Avenue. The restaurant will open its doors to the public on Monday, February 3, under the ownership of first-time Firehouse Subs Franchisees Derek and Jessica Nichols.

The two met at a Firehouse Subs restaurant in Winter Garden, Florida, nearly a decade ago. Now, they’re happily married with three children and excited to open their own franchise together. Derek Nichols started as a general manager with Firehouse Subs 15 years ago and worked his way up to district manager. He helped open the Waterville, Maine, restaurant in 2016 and was determined to open his own restaurant one day. Jessica Nichols has worked with Firehouse Subs for eight years and is looking forward to using her experience to serve the Bangor community. With the opening of their first restaurant, the couple named their franchise business CRW Subs, the initials of their three children: Christopher, Rodney and William.

“We’ve been so proud to be part of the Firehouse Subs family for so many years,” Derek Nichols said. “The brand’s core values of serving the community through hearty, flavorful food and giving back through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation really resonate with us. Of course, it’s an added bonus that this brand introduced me to the love of my life.”

“We are very excited to have Derek and his wife Jess opening a restaurant in Bangor as franchisees. We could not ask for better, more experienced, and passionate franchisees,” said Area Representative Rob Baldacci. “Bangor is our home town, and our family has been in the restaurant business in town since 1933. We had to close our restaurant upon the untimely death of our brother Paul, who had taken over after my parents passed away. In many ways, opening a Firehouse Subs in Bangor is our coming home again, serving great food and giving back to the community with the best brand in the food industry today.”

Firehouse Subs serves a variety of hot specialty subs, piled high with premium meats and cheeses that are sliced fresh daily in-restaurant and steamed together to bring out the ingredients’ natural flavors, served “Fully Involved®” with fresh produce and condiments. In addition to its signature subs, the restaurant offers a variety of catering options from sandwich and dessert platters to salads and snacks to fuel any occasion.

The Nichols family is dedicated to sharing the brand’s commitment to heartfelt service and giving back through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which has granted more than $367,000 in Maine. A portion of every sale at any Firehouse Subs in the U.S. benefits the Foundation, allowing the Foundation to achieve its mission of providing lifesaving equipment, funding and education to first responders and public safety organizations across the country.

The Bangor Firehouse Subs restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. It will offer third-party delivery and in-house catering services to accommodate occasions of all sizes, from office meetings to family gatherings. Guests can call the restaurant to place pick-up or catering orders at (207) 307-7526.

Founded by former firefighting brothers, the restaurant décor reflects the founding family’s decades of fire and police service with gear and photos donated by local fire departments. It boasts a custom, hand-painted mural by Chief Mural Artist Joe Puskas, depicting the Nichols’ three children, Christopher, Rodney and William, along with their grandfathers, Rodney and Christopher. The group is pictured with Paul Bunyan, the famed icon said to have been born in Bangor. Since the opening of the first Firehouse Subs in 1994, Puskas and his team have painted more than 1,185 murals from his studio at Firehouse Subs Headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.

In 2005, the Firehouse Subs founders established the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation with the mission of providing funding, lifesaving equipment and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. The 501(c)(3) Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has granted more than $48 million to hometown heroes in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. Each restaurant recycles five-gallon pickle buckets, available to guests for a $3 donation to the Foundation. Donation canisters on register counters explain the nonprofit’s mission and collect spare change, while the Round Up Program allows guests to “round up” their bill to the nearest dollar. All funds raised benefit the Foundation.

About Firehouse Subs

Firehouse Subs® is a fast-casual restaurant chain with a passion for Hearty and Flavorful Food, Heartfelt Service and Public Safety. Founded in Jacksonville, Florida in 1994 by brothers and former firefighters Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, Firehouse Subs is a brand built on decades of fire and police service, hot subs, steamed and piled high with the highest quality meats and cheeses and its commitment to saving lives through the establishment of the non-profit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®. The founders are the real deal, the food is their creation and the brand is built upon a family of franchise operators who share their same passion for generously serving food and community. This year, Firehouse of America and Firehouse Subs suppliers will together donate a portion of purchases at Firehouse Subs locations to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation for the purchase of lifesaving equipment, with a minimum donation of $1 million. Firehouse Subs is consistently recognized as one of the leading brands in the U.S. among consumers. Newsweek named Firehouse Subs No. 1 in the fast-casual restaurant industry on its 2019 list of America’s Best Customer Service Brands. Firehouse Subs was listed as No. 3 in the sandwich category of “The Fast-Food Brands of the Year” by The Harris Poll’s 2019 EquiTrends Brands Equity Index. In 2018, Firehouse Subs was named the No. 1 brand in the restaurant industry that “Supports Local Community Activities” and ranked No. 1 among Fast Casual brands in “Food Quality” and “Taste and Flavor” in Technomic’s Consumer Brand Metrics rankings.

Enjoy more subs. Save more lives. To learn more, visit https://www.firehousesubs.com.

Quick Facts:

  • More than 1,185 restaurants in 46 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and non-traditional locations
  • $48 million+ granted to public safety organizations via Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®
  • Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.
  • Firehouse Rewards program offers points for free items, free birthday subs and more on Google Play and the App Store

Media Contacts:

Vanessa De La Vina
Firehouse Subs
904.606.5256
pr@firehousesubs.com

The Zimmerman Agency
850.668.2222
firehousesubs@zimmerman.com

SOURCE Firehouse Subs

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