Firehouse Subs franchisee Chris Arnaud, far right, and his father, Eddie Arnaud, far left, present a donation check to the fire department in Lumberton, Texas, as part of the brand’s ongoing efforts to support first responders.
Chris Arnaud credits his father for getting him started with Firehouse Subs and setting him on a path to operating six top-performing restaurants in Texas and Louisiana.
And for good reason.
It was his dad’s work as a firefighter that motivated Arnaud to enter the sandwich brand that was founded by a pair of firefighting brothers in 1994 and continues to
support fire and other public safety professionals through its charitable foundation. It was also his father who helped set up the initial meeting with a pair of longtime Firehouse operators who were looking to retire.
“None of this probably would’ve happened without my dad,” Arnaud said. “He was a fireman in Beaumont, Texas, for over 30 years, and without him I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
When Arnaud entered the Firehouse system in 2020, he owned a small group of Sonic Drive-Ins in Texas with another investor. He exited that legacy fast-food brand in 2024 after working his way up from cook right out of high school to shift leader to general manager to supervisor.
Arnaud is now focused on growing his Firehouse portfolio, which he’s confident will eventually double in size.
He got his start with the acquisition of a location in Sulphur, Louisiana, about 20 miles east of the Texas border, and another in Port Arthur, Texas. He’s built four restaurants, in Lumberton, Deer Park, Mont Belvieu and Beaumont, Texas, and said his restaurants are performing above the system average of $1 million, with his first six stores doing a combined $7 million in sales. A seventh location is scheduled to open in October.
Arnaud’s success operating Firehouse restaurants earned him a “Class A” ranking by the company, which scores operators for not only their sales performance but also on compliance with brand standards, active management and community involvement.
Firehouse Subs, which was acquired by Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International in 2021, is No. 66 on this year’s Franchise Times Top 400 with $1.25 billion in sales. It finished 2024 with 1,248 locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, an increase of nearly 7 percent from the prior year. The brand is focused on growing in Brazil, where it has a master franchise agreement for 500 restaurants over 10 years, and is looking to expand into the Middle East as part of RBI’s broader global strategy.
The cost to open a Firehouse ranges from $379,650 to $795,600 for a traditional restaurant and $705,650 to $1,396,100 for a freestanding restaurant with drive-thru.
To encourage development, Firehouse is offering cash incentives to franchisees to open new restaurants, with up to $100,000 available per location. The program includes incentives for both new and existing franchisees, with $75,000 for opening one location and $100,000 for opening two or more.
Arnaud said he took advantage of incentive programs to develop two of his Firehouse locations, including his second one in Beaumont.
He credited his restaurant success to a number of factors, including being a hands-on operator, hiring and training the right people, and keeping everyone accountable. He said keeping close tabs on the key performance indicators of his restaurants has been crucial, as has staying aligned with a growing brand that regularly updates its menu and is committed to innovation.
Firehouse started exploring more digital ordering options this year, including kiosks, and RBI Executive Chairman Patrick Doyle told investors in February he thinks the brand can get to 100 percent digital sales in the U.S. and Canada by 2026.
“Because our guests are either walking in or are ordering ahead of time on their phones anyway, it’s very possible. … I think it can absolutely can be done,” Doyle said. “Regardless, you’re going to see us speed up our digital journey because it’s good for everyone involved.”
And in a nod to his father’s firefighting career, Arnaud is proud that Firehouse has raised more than $100 million to help first responders enhance their life-saving capabilities. Again, he credited his 72-year-old father, Eddie Arnaud, for steering his restaurant career to the brand.
“I ate at a Firehouse a couple of times and really liked it and talked to my dad about it,” Arnaud recalled. “He then ended up running into some owners here in Texas in a Huddle House and asking them if they were planning to build more of these things. They said, ‘No, we’re actually looking to sell.’ My father said, ‘It just so happens, my son is in the restaurant business’ and that’s how it all started for me.”