The local partnership that owns the Firehouse Subs restaurants in the Baton Rouge market opened their third location this week at 6555 Siegen Lane, and at least three more of the fast-casual sandwich shops are planned for the area.
The newest Firehouse Subs opened Tuesday in the shopping center it shares with Mattress Firm, Mooyah Burgers and Cowboy Chicken. It joins two other Firehouse Subs—one at 5140 Corporate Blvd., which opened in 2013, and one at 121 Bass Pro Blvd. in Denham Springs, which opened in December.
Franchisee Patrick Lee, who co-owns the restaurants with Dr. Eric Oberlander, says growth in the market has been slow and steady. One year after opening the initial location on Corporate Boulevard, the restaurant was pulling in about $12,000 per week, just slightly less than the company-wide average.
By early 2015, however, sales had increased about 30% and the Corporate Boulevard location was in the top 20% of all 900 Firehouse Subs restaurants in the country.
“This is a really strong market for us,” Lee says. “We’re very pleased with the performance of our stores.”
Lee and Oberlander selected Siegen Lane for their newest restaurant because of its high traffic count.
“We liked the site plan of this shopping center and the visibility,” he says. “Siegen Lane is one of the most heavily commercial driven corridors in Baton Rouge. It’s where you want to be.”
Lee and Oberlander have a development agreement with the Jacksonville, Florida-based chain to open at least three more restaurants in the local market. There’s no word yet on where those new restaurants might be located.
A separate franchisee has an agreement to develop restaurants in the Prairieville and Gonzales area, with one restaurant on Cabela Parkway in Gonzales already in operation and plans for a second location under way, Lee says. Â
—Stephanie Riegel
