Asheville entrepreneur opens new Firehouse Subs on Tunnel Road

Glenda Weinert is the owner of the new Firehouse Subs at 168 Tunnel Road. Weinert owns a total of three restaurants in the Asheville area. Photo courtesy of Firehouse Subs

Press release from Firehouse Subs:

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – March 2, 2018 – Firehouse Subs announces the recent grand opening of its location in Asheville at 168 Tunnel Road on Friday, March 2, under the ownership of local entrepreneur, Glenda Weinert. Firehouse Subs serves premium meats and cheeses steamed and piled high on a toasted sub roll, served “Fully Involved®” with fresh produce and condiments. In 2017, Firehouse Subs received Technomic’s Chain Restaurant Consumers’ Choice Award as No. 1 Overall Brand and was recognized as No. 1 among the Top 10 Most Craveable Sandwich Chain Sandwiches by Technomic for its signature Hook & Ladder Sub®. 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.

This is the third restaurant for Weinert, who looks forward to continuing to grow in the greater Asheville area. “When I began researching Firehouse Subs, I discovered a brand with a passion for flavorful food, heartfelt service and public safety,” said Weinert. “I grew up here and have always wanted to be involved with a business whose focus is on supporting the community, and found a brand that embodies just that. I couldn’t ask for a better place to own my restaurants than my hometown of Asheville, or a more perfect brand to invest with and grow.”

Weinert looks forward to continuing Firehouse Subs’ commitment to helping public safety organizations through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®, which has donated more than $1 million in grants in the state of North Carolina.

The Asheville Firehouse Subs restaurant is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Weinert also owns locations off of Patton Avenue in Asheville and Airport Road in Arden.

Firehouse Subs offers small, medium and large hot specialty subs, including the number one selling Hook & Ladder® sub, served with smoked turkey breast and Virginia honey ham smothered with Monterey Jack cheese. Other top sellers include the Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket™ loaded with USDA choice beef brisket smoked for up to 16 hours in an authentic Texas smokehouse and topped with melted cheddar cheese and a special combination of sauces, including Sweet Baby Ray’s® Barbecue Sauce. Additionally, each restaurant offers an assortment of 50+ complimentary hot sauces, including Captain Sorensen’s® Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, named in honor of the founding brothers’ father, Rob Sorensen, a 43-year retired fire captain.

Founded by former firefighting brothers, the new Asheville restaurant décor reflects the founding family’s decades of fire and police service. It boasts a custom, hand-painted mural by Chief Mural Artist Joe Puskas depicting the City of Asheville Fire Rescue Engine 1 being pulled by the University of North Carolina at Asheville mascot, Rocky the Bulldog, next to a firefighter and young child wearing a fire hat and a UNCA t-shirt. Painted in the background is the former Asheville Fire Department station that was built in 1926 by well-renowned architect Douglas B. Ellington, and is presently the home of the Arson Task Force and houses the fire department archives. Since the opening of the first Firehouse Subs in 1994, Puskas and his team have painted more than 1,115 murals from his studio at Firehouse Subs Headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.

The touch-screen operated Coca-Cola Freestyle® fountain is available in every restaurant and offers 120+ sparkling and still beverage brands with 70+ regular and low-calorie options. Choices include the top selling non-carbonated fountain drink Cherry Lime-Aid™, Cherry Lime-Aid™ Light and the newest variety, Sparkling Cherry Lime-Aid™, all exclusive original recipes by Firehouse Subs, served with fresh squeezed lime.

The Firehouse Rewards digital loyalty program offers guests an opportunity to earn and redeem points for each restaurant visit through a smartphone app. Once registered, guests can order in-app and access recent orders, redeem points for free items, and receive exclusive offers, such as a free medium sub on their birthday, and more. The free app is available on Google Play and in the App Store.

In 2005, Firehouse Subs created the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation® with the mission of providing funding, life-saving equipment and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. Many first responders make do with older equipment and have limited or no access to needed resources. The 501(c)(3) Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has granted more than $31 million to hometown heroes in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. Each restaurant recycles leftover, five-gallon pickle buckets, available to guests for a $2 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. This year, Firehouse of America will donate 0.13 percent of purchases at all U.S. Firehouse Subs locations to Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. This percentage will result in a minimum donation of one million dollars.
*For U.S. Firehouse Subs locations only. Not valid in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and non-traditional locations.

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