--- title: "Local Restaurateur Brings the Heat with First Firehouse Subs® in Brookings" url: https://burnaze.com/article/a062eb6f-2309-4074-bc4b-77d756be0b21 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20211102_local_restaurateur_brings_the_heat_with_first_firehouse_subs_in_brookings.html category: "Sandwich & sub" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Sandwich & sub" published: 2021-11-02T12:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:12:28.094Z image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1504674900247-0877df9cc836?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop --- # Local Restaurateur Brings the Heat with First Firehouse Subs® in Brookings **TL;DR:** Local restaurateur Eric Engelstad has opened his seventh Firehouse Subs location in Brookings, South Dakota. The new restaurant features the brand's new Community Design and offers a variety of hot specialty subs and catering options. *originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-11-02. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20211102_local_restaurateur_brings_the_heat_with_first_firehouse_subs_in_brookings.html).* ## Story A South Dakota native, Engelstad opened his first Firehouse Subs restaurant in 2012 and owns and operates locations across Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sioux City, Iowa, Watertown, South Dakota and St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Brookings restaurant is Engelstad’s seventh location, and the fourth Firehouse Subs in the state of South Dakota. “I’m thrilled to bring our hearty and flavorful subs to a new neighborhood,” said Engelstad. “Thanks to our loyal guests, we’ve been able to support our local heroes across South Dakota and give back through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. I look forward to continuing those efforts with the new Brookings location.” Engelstad is dedicated to sharing the brand’s commitment to giving back through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which has granted nearly $190,000 in South Dakota. A portion of every purchase at any Firehouse Subs in the U.S. benefits the Foundation, allowing the Foundation to achieve its mission of providing lifesaving equipment, funding and education to first responders and public safety organizations across the country. The Brookings Firehouse Subs restaurant, located one mile from South Dakota State University’s campus, is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It will offer steamed-to-perfection subs to go via online ordering through the Firehouse Subs app or website, call-in phone orders, third-party delivery or Rapid Rescue To Go® takeout service at the counter inside. Additionally, in-house catering services are also offered to guests to accommodate occasions of all sizes, from office meetings to family gatherings. The restaurant will be the first Firehouse Subs in South Dakota to feature the brand’s new Community Design, which features enhancements made to provide a better Firehouse Subs experience for guests, in addition to a new back-of-the-house layout with a more efficient flow for Firehouse Subs 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 online or through the Firehouse Subs app, in addition to demonstrating the brand’s commitment to community, first responders, heartfelt service and quality food that satisfies. 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 the Coughlin Campanile, South Dakota State University’s most recognizable landmark, and the SDSU Jackrabbit driving a firetruck. Since the opening of the first Firehouse Subs in 1994, Puskas and his team have painted more than 1,200 murals from his studio at Firehouse Subs Headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla. 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. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - unit expansion (topic) - restaurant opening (topic) - community involvement (topic) - franchisee (topic) - Firehouse Subs (company) - south dakota (location) - Brookings (location) --- Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20211102_local_restaurateur_brings_the_heat_with_first_firehouse_subs_in_brookings.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/a062eb6f-2309-4074-bc4b-77d756be0b21).