--- title: "Local Entrepreneur Ignites Middleburg Heights, Ohio with First Firehouse Subs® Restaurant" url: https://burnaze.com/article/e8c8eb27-8da9-4d5c-99ba-3069eff4ec95 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20191223_local_entrepreneur_ignites_middleburg_heights_ohio.html category: "Sandwich & sub" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Sandwich & sub" published: 2019-12-23T12:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T22:33:28.999Z image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1561758033-d89a9ad46330?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop --- # Local Entrepreneur Ignites Middleburg Heights, Ohio with First Firehouse Subs® Restaurant **TL;DR:** Mikola has opened the fourth Firehouse Subs restaurant in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, offering hot specialty subs and catering options. The restaurant is part of a brand that donates to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which has granted over $46 million to first responders and public safety organizations. *originally published in Franchising.com on 2019-12-23. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20191223_local_entrepreneur_ignites_middleburg_heights_ohio.html).* ## Story 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 on a toasted sub roll. 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 fourth Firehouse Subs restaurant for the veteran restaurateur. Mikola started in the restaurant industry as a bus boy at 16-years-old, and went on to serve as executive chefs and in multi-unit management for other national brands. He started his chapter with Firehouse Subs when he opened his first location in Strongsville, Ohio in 2012, and operates locations in Fairlawn and Canton. “Middleburg Heights is a city I’ve wanted to be in for many years,” Mikola said. “There’s so many great nearby communities in the area, and I’m really looking forward to becoming a part of the neighborhood and of course serving our flavorful subs, but also giving back to our local first responders.” Mikola is dedicated to sharing the brand’s commitment to giving back through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which has granted more than $2.3 million in Ohio. A portion of every sale 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 Middleburg Heights Firehouse Subs restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. It will offer third-party delivery and in-house catering services to accommodate occasions of all sizes, from office meetings to family gatherings. Founded by former firefighting brothers Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, the restaurant décor reflects the founding family’s decades of fire and police service with gear and photos donated by local fire departments. The restaurant boasts a custom, hand-painted mural by Chief Mural Artist Joe Puskas, which features Middleburg Heights Fire Department and Mikola’s parents under Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds’ iconic arch, with the wind mill in the background. Since the opening of the first Firehouse Subs in 1994, Puskas and his team have painted more than 1,180 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 $46 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. Celebrating 25 years of business in 2019, Firehouse Subs® is a fast casual restaurant chain with a passion for Hearty and Flavorful Food, Heartfelt Service and Public Safety. Founded 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 subs, steamed and 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 restaurant is built upon a family of franchise operators who share their same passion for generously serving food and community. This year, Firehouse of America, LLC (franchisor for the brand) will donate a portion of all purchases at U.S. Firehouse Subs restaurants to Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, resulting in a minimum donation of one million dollars. Newsweek recently named Firehouse Subs No. 1 in the fast casual restaurant industry on its 2019 list of America’s Best Customer Service Brands. In 2018, Firehouse Subs was named the No. 1 brand in the restaurant industry that “Supports Local Community Activities” and ranks No. 1 among Fast Casual brands in “Food Quality” and “Taste and Flavor” in Technomic’s Consumer Brand Metrics rankings. Firehouse Subs was also named No. - 175+ sparkling and still beverage options offered through Coca-Cola Freestyle® fountain in every Firehouse Subs restaurant - Including top-selling exclusive Firehouse Subs recipes, Cherry Lime-Aid™, Cherry Lime-Aid™ Light and Sparkling Cherry Lime-Aid™, served with fresh squeezed lime - Hook & Ladderº Piled high with smoked turkey breast and Virginia honey ham smothered with Monterey Jack cheeseº Served “Fully Involved” with mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion and a kosher dill pickle on the side - Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket™º 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 - Bring the heat with our hot sauce bar featuring 25+ 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. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - franchise expansion (topic) - restaurant opening (topic) - Technomic (company) - Coke (company) - Firehouse Subs (company) - Newsweek (company) - catering options (topic) - public safety foundation (topic) - Middleburg Heights (location) --- Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20191223_local_entrepreneur_ignites_middleburg_heights_ohio.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/e8c8eb27-8da9-4d5c-99ba-3069eff4ec95).