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Firehouse Subs co-founder dies after building beloved American sandwich chain with brother

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Cite

Chafe, S. (2026, October 25). Firehouse Subs co-founder dies after building beloved American sandwich chain with brother. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/firehouse-subs-co-founder-dies-after-building-beloved-american-sandwich-chain-brother

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-10-25 · by Sadie Chafe

Quick Summary

Chris Sorensen, co-founder of the sandwich chain Firehouse Subs and a former firefighter, died at age 65. Before founding Firehouse Subs with his brother Robin in 1994, Chris had a career as a professional guitarist and worked for several fire departments. The brothers started their business with less than $100 and grew it into a successful chain now owned by Restaurant Brands International for one billion dollars. At its peak, the company operated over 1,200 locations. Additionally, they established the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in 2005 to support first responders, which has awarded more than $118 million in grants to departments across the U.S. and Canada.
Written by AI on 2026-10-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Chris Sorensen, co-founder of Firehouse Subs and former professional guitarist, died at age 65. Before founding the sandwich chain in 1994, he had various roles including firefighter and EMT with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, following his father Robert's footsteps. With less than $100 in their bank account initially, Chris and his younger brother Robin founded Firehouse Subs in their hometown of Jacksonville. Interestingly, the first order at the flagship location was two hot dogs loaded with about 10 ingredients, surprising even them given their focus on subs.

Written for “Firehouse Subs Co Founder Dies” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Firehouse Subs Co Founder Dies
Entertainment · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
2 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6507 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Sadie Chafe
23 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Cortisol naturally peaks in the morning, according to the Cleveland Clinic, so the "spike" in cortisol some people attribute to drinking coffee on an empty stomach might just be a natural process rather than a side effect of the coffee.
🔮 In order to avoid large crowds and a chaotic shopping experience, customers might want to stay away from Costco on certain afternoons.
🔮 "For me personally, the best breakfast sandwich is the McDonald's Sausage Biscuit, then after that would be the Chic-fil-A Chicken Biscuit!" said another person.
🔮 In-N-Out Burger CEO Lynsi Snyder has hinted at future expansions for the California-based fast-food chain, mentioning Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma as three states that might welcome In-N-Out restaurants in the years to come.
🔮 The proper special authorities, which in this case include The Lower Nature Conservation Authority and the Veterinary and Food Surveillance Office, will be given a police report and determine next steps, according to the news release. "The Veterinary and Food Surveillance Office will visit the wildlife park promptly and carry out an on-site animal welfare control," the release noted.
🔮 "It's the only other candy I would hope for aside from Reese's pieces if I was trick-or-treating," a candy corn fan said on Reddit.
🔮 The report showed that women have just under 50% more neurons than men in olfactory regions, a difference that could contribute to a stronger sense of smell.
🔮 Southwest Airlines will add 11 new nonstop international routes to its schedule beginning in November, giving travelers more options for their next tropical escape.
🔮 Another commenter shared a similar sentiment, saying: "Need to serve a churro with it." After roughly two years without its Twisted Churros, Costco announced in September that the cinnamon and sugar-dusted doughy treat would return for a limited time.
🔮 "Our findings suggest that the link between diet and brain health may be detectable before people experience noticeable problems with memory or thinking," said Sonia Anand, senior author of the study and senior scientist at PHRI.
Also by Sadie Chafe
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 23 articles by Sadie Chafe →

Topics

Earth, Wind & Fire Firehouse Subs Foreigner News the Brevard County Fire Department

Subjects

Firehouse Subs ORG · 6× Chris PERSON · 4× Robin Sorensen PERSON · 2× Chris Sorensen PERSON · 1× Earth, Wind & Fire ORG · 1× Foreigner ORG · 1× Huey Lewis PERSON · 1× Lynyrd Skynyrd PERSON · 1× News ORG · 1× Sorensen PERSON · 1×

Narrative

After working at the Brevard County Fire Department and the Jacksonville International Airport Fire and Rescue Department, Chris spent 10 years as an engineer and EMT at the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, where his dad also worked at the time.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-25

Claims (16 extracted, 2 hedged)

Chris Sorensen, a co-founder of the sandwich chain Firehouse Subs, has died at 65. asserted
Sorensen → die → 65
Before entering the restaurant industry, Sorensen was a professional guitarist, even sitting in with bands including Huey Lewis and the News, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner and Earth, Wind & Fire, according to his obituary. uncertain
Sorensen → enter → obituary
He went on to become a firefighter, following in the footsteps of his father, Robert. asserted
He → go → father
After working at the Brevard County Fire Department and the Jacksonville International Airport Fire and Rescue Department, Chris spent 10 years as an engineer and EMT at the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, where his dad also worked at the time. asserted
dad → work → time
In 1994, Chris and his younger brother, Robin, co-founded Firehouse Subs, opening the first location in their hometown of Jacksonville. asserted
- → co → Jacksonville
They had less than $100 in their checking accounts at the time, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. uncertain
They → have → News
Surprisingly, the first-ever order at the chain’s flagship location was not a sub, but two hot dogs with everything on them, which consisted of about 10 ingredients, Robin Sorensen told the Jacksonville Daily Record in 2020. asserted
Sorensen → consist → 2020
"We were so focused on the subs, we weren’t prepared for that order. asserted
we → prepare → order
Needless to say, it was a long ticket time," he said. asserted
he → say → ?
Featuring steamed meats and cheeses piled high on warm toasted rolls, Firehouse sandwiches soon became a hit. asserted
sandwiches → feature → rolls
Chris took creative ownership of the interior of Firehouse Subs restaurants, outfitting each location with a custom mural depicting fire and police service unique to the restaurant’s town. asserted
Chris → take → town
A collector of historical artifacts, he ensured that the legacy of Firehouse Subs was preserved, serving as the chain's unofficial archivist. asserted
legacy → ensure → archivist
After being sold in 2021 for one billion dollars to Restaurant Brands International, which also owns Burger King, the Firehouse Subs fleet grew to more than 1,200 locations. asserted
fleet → sell → locations
In 2005, Chris and Robin Sorensen created the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, with a mission of providing first-responders with life-saving equipment, tools and education. asserted
Sorensen → create → equipment
The organization has awarded more than 118 million dollars in grants to 7,700 departments in the U.S. and Canada, per the obituary. asserted
organization → award → obituary
Fox News Digital reached out to Firehouse Subs for comment. asserted
Digital → reach → comment
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