Pierce County’s first Firehouse Subs opens Sunday in Lakewood

UPDATE: The opening was delayed by the company until Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Firehouse Subs will open its first Pierce County location Sunday (Jan. 7).

The chain sub shop will open at 5700 100th St. SW in the Lakewood Pavilion Shopping Center in the same complex as Rite Aid. The restaurant will operate from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

The closest Firehouse Subs opened in 2016 in Lacey, and there are a handful of other locations across Western Washington.

The sub shop operates similarly to chain sandwich shops such as Jimmy John’s or Jersey Mike’s, where sandwiches are made to order.

The Lakewood Firehouse Subs will seat about 40 in the 1,700-square-foot dining room.

Each shop is firehouse-themed, and every location displays firefighter memorabilia. That’s a nod to the long family history in police and fire services for the chain’s owners, brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen. They founded the chain in 1994 in Florida.

The company is known for its lineup of 50 hot sauces including a house brand, Captain Sorensen’s Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, named after the father of the company’s owners.

The restaurant also is known for its steamed subs on bread that comes in three sizes.

The Lakewood restaurant is operated by franchise owners Jina and Danny Kim. This is a first restaurant for the couple. They have lived in Pierce County for about 10 years. They signed a franchise agreement for five Firehouse Subs restaurants in Pierce County.

Each Firehouse Subs location is decorated with artwork created by the company’s mural artist, Joe Puskas.

The Lakewood mural will depict West Pierce Fire & Rescue Engine 21 along with members of the Kim family — their nephew, Aiden, daughter, Kiara, and the two family dogs, Lily and Pie. The background depicts a military transport aircraft from nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, flying over American Lake. Mount Rainier also appears in the design.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Pierce County’s first Firehouse Subs opens Sunday in Lakewood."