Firehouse Subs franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.34 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$20,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · 6% of Gross Sales per Accounting Period (weekly), payable the 3rd day of each 7-day Accounting Period

Marketing contribution

5% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Digital Technology Fee: $150/restaurant/month plus 1% of Digital Sales, billed monthly; also MIS System Fee $1,200/year

Other fees

MIS System Fee $1,200/yr; Delivery Guest Support Services Fee $0.25-$0.75 per delivery order; Special Co-Op Contribution up to 4% of Gross Sales (if required)

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$10,000 to $45,000 estimated working capital for 3 months of ongoing expenses (payroll, uniforms, supplies, misc.)

Fees sourceFDD p.29 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.34 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average/median/quartile annual gross sales (AUV) by restaurant format, plus average/median Restaurant-level EBITDA by annual sales tier and by PNE operational score, for franchised restaurants

Reporting period

FY2025 (year ended December 31, 2025)

Sample

AUV data: 1,033 Counter Service + 35 Free-Standing w/Drive Thru + 69 End Cap w/Drive Thru = 1,137 franchised restaurants continuously operated all of 2025; EBITDA data: 704 of those restaurants that submitted complete P&L statements

Reported average

$1,035,521

Reported median

$986,432

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.75 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

1206

Year-end outlets

1249

Net change

+43

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

73

Terminations

6

Non-renewals

15

Other closures

9

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

88

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.81 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

139 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$450,200

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

66 loans

Historical charge-off share

7.44%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

30 / 403

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Firehouse Subs franchise cost?

Traditional - Inline: $405,350 to $875,950; Traditional - Inline End Cap with Drive Thru: $528,159 to $1,087,050; Traditional - Free-standing with Drive Thru: $767,950 to $1,577,750 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $20,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.34 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Firehouse Subs owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average/median/quartile annual gross sales (AUV) by restaurant format, plus average/median Restaurant-level EBITDA by annual sales tier and by PNE operational score, for franchised restaurants. Sample: AUV data: 1,033 Counter Service + 35 Free-Standing w/Drive Thru + 69 End Cap w/Drive Thru = 1,137 franchised restaurants continuously operated all of 2025; EBITDA data: 704 of those restaurants that submitted complete P&L statements. Period: FY2025 (year ended December 31, 2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.75 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Firehouse Subs?

7.44%; numerator / denominator: 30 / 403. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $450,200; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 66 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗