U.S. Army medics and business partners open new restaurant featuring contemporary Community Design
Catoosa, OK (-) Firehouse Subs® is pleased to announce the grand opening of its first Community Design restaurant in Oklahoma. Located in Catoosa at 19361 Robson Road Ste. B., the new restaurant – owned by first-time Franchisees John “J.P.” Bell and Dakota Pruitt – is also the brand’s first location in Rogers County.
Both proud citizens of the Cherokee Nation, the business partners met while serving in the U.S. Army as medics. Bell served his country for six years while Pruitt has served for 14 years and is still active in the military. Prior to opening the restaurant, Bell gained 12 years of experience in the food and beverage industry working at the corporate office and as a regional manager for another restaurant brand. Pruitt has worked in the healthcare industry for more than a decade and currently serves as an Oklahoma territory sales manager with a focus on genetics.
“We’re passionate about opening our first restaurant and debuting the brand’s Community Design concept in the great state of Oklahoma,” said Bell. “Our values align with everything Firehouse Subs stands for and we’re excited to share hot and hearty sandwiches with the Catoosa community.”
“Our time serving in the U.S. Army instilled in us a great deal of respect for first responders, and it’s just as important for us to give back to them as it is to serve delicious food,” Pruitt noted. “We look forward to supporting local heroes through a portion of every purchase benefiting Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.”
The new Community Design restaurant concept features enhancements made to provide a better dining experience for guests, in addition to a new back-of-the-house layout with a more efficient flow for crew members. The updated design of this new location has a repositioned ordering area and a designated space for Rapid Rescue To Go® orders made through the Firehouse Subs app or website. The space also demonstrates the brand’s commitment to community, first responders, heartfelt service and quality food that satisfies.
The Catoosa Hills Firehouse Subs restaurant opens at 10:30 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. seven days a week. The restaurant offers subs to go through online ordering, call-in phone orders, third-party delivery or takeout service at the counter inside.
Bell and Pruitt are dedicated to sharing the brand’s commitment to giving back through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®, which has granted more than $161,000 in the greater Tulsa area. A portion of every purchase at any Firehouse Subs in the U.S. benefits the Foundation to help achieve its mission of providing lifesaving equipment and resources to first responders and public safety organizations across the country.
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.
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, featuring actual local police officers and firefighters standing by a Catoosa Fire Department truck and a Catoosa Police Department car decorated with the American in the foreground. The historic U.S. Route 66 sign and the Blue Whale of Catoosa, a popular waterfront structure and local attraction, are depicted in the background. Since the opening of the first Firehouse Subs in 1994, Puskas and his team have painted more than 1,205 murals from his studio at Firehouse Subs Headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida.
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 $62.5 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 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 and hearty subs 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 a family of franchise operators who share their same passion for generously serving food and community. For the third consecutive year, based on recent Technomic Insight consumer data, Firehouse Subs was named the No.1 brand in the restaurant industry that “Supports Local Community Activities.” 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.
Enjoy more subs. Save more lives. To learn more, visit http://www.firehousesubs.com.
Quick Facts:
- More than 1,205 restaurants in 46 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and non-traditional locations
- $62.5+ million granted to public safety organizations via Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®
- Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.
Contact:
EmmaJean Livingston
Firehouse Subs
904-606-5215
pr@firehousesubs.com