Firehouse Subs co-founder Chris Sorensen dies at 65

Chris Sorensen, a co-founder of Firehouse Subs, died at 65. Artvoice reported that he died October 11 at his home in St. Augustine, Florida. The New York Post also reported his death and age, while the outlets’ accounts emphasize different parts of his path to the restaurant business.

Sorensen was a professional guitarist before entering the restaurant industry, according to both Artvoice and the New York Post. The New York Post says his obituary described him playing with bands including Huey Lewis and the News, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Artvoice likewise identifies his music career, but focuses on how his career later moved into food service. In October 1994, Sorensen and his younger brother Robin opened the first Firehouse Subs in Jacksonville, Artvoice reported. The brothers had less than $100 combined in their checking accounts at the time.

The shop served steamed meats and cheeses on toasted rolls, a concept Artvoice describes as the foundation of the chain. The New York Post also places the chain’s first restaurant in Jacksonville in 1994, but gives no account of the menu or the brothers’ finances. The business later expanded substantially.

Artvoice reports that Firehouse Subs had more than 1,200 locations operating and that the brothers sold the chain in 2021 to Restaurant Brands International for $1 billion. That company is the parent of Burger King, according to Artvoice. The brothers also established the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in 2005.

Artvoice says the foundation has awarded more than $110 million in grants supporting first responders nationwide, linking the founders’ restaurant venture with a philanthropic effort that continued alongside the chain’s growth.

The New York Post adds details about Sorensen’s work before he co-founded the restaurant company, reporting that he served as an engineer and EMT at the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department for 10 years after working at two other fire departments. It also says his father worked at the Jacksonville department at the time.

The New York Post’s account further notes an early restaurant detail: Robin Sorensen told the Jacksonville Daily Record in 2020 that the first order was two hot dogs with about 10 toppings, rather than a sub. Together, the accounts trace Sorensen’s career from professional musician to emergency-services worker and restaurant co-founder.

They document the company’s scale, its sale and the foundation’s grantmaking, while Artvoice supplies the reported date and place of his death.