Firehouse Subs Oshawa — Restaurant in Oshawa

3 stars because theres always room for Improvement....

What was supposed to be an enjoyable Father’s Day dinner. Unfortunately, it turned out to be ridiculously complicated when we walked in. We were not greeted at all until we got to the cash register – a new employee who was learning how to do the register and take orders was struggling. I was ready to be very patient and kind. It’s not easy learning new things at a new job. He asked for assistance from a young girl on the food line who helped once and then became too busy and walked away. The restaurant was full of gentlemen in the back and front, all dressed in Firehouse Subs uniforms, talking on their cell phones or standing in a cluster in the mid doorway right by the register.

Our order was the following 1 half-and-half small Hook and Ladder. When I placed the order, I asked the gentleman to make sure all the stuff that normally comes on the Hook and Ladder was included. I asked three times, and he repeated that tomato and onion already come on the sandwich. I also added green bell peppers, black olives, mayo, and a pickle spear on the side. He never asked me what kind of bread I wanted, just put white bread in and asked, "White bread, right?" I was never given a choice because then he started asking me other questions. So, I said, "Yep, that's fine." I could tell he was a bit frustrated. He added corned beef for an extra dollar by mistake and a bowl of broccoli and cheese. Then we added a large Smokehouse Brisket on white bread without barbecue sauce, another half-and-half small Smokehouse Brisket on white bread with a pickle spear on the side, regular bbq brisket, a bowl of broccoli and cheese, and two fountain drinks. The total came out to $51.87, at first.

We sat down and waited for our meal, along with two other ladies. After 8 minutes, the girl came to our table and asked me to come to the till and bring my tap card to refund me for the corned beef charge. The gentleman who served us was apologetic, and another gentleman not in a Firehouse Shirt showed that I was charged an extra $1. They refunded me $12.42 and asked me to pay $11.29 for my meal, which I made sure was correct. There were seven employees huddled close to the register not even apart of the discussion, speaking in a different lauguage, the gentleman helping me had to raise his voice and ask them to stop.

The soup was hot and edible. However, as someone with previous restaurant and fast-food experience as a manager, the soup was clumpy and pasty. It felt like the bottom of the pot had been sitting for a while. No pickle spears were given, so I had to go up to the counter where a young fellow apologized and gave us a box full, which we were grateful for. When I got back to my table, my family told me the brisket was fatty and needed sauce as no sauce was given for either. I went back up and asked for barbecue sauce, then sat back down to my half-and-half sandwich to find it was a small edge piece with next to nothing mozzarella cheese. There were no sauces or the usual sandwich toppings, but my black olives and green peppers were there, and I was beyond tired and frustrated, so I ate it. I have photos...

I even told the girl on the line that even though the order was completely wrong and there may have been a communication mix-up, she should have double-checked the order since he was learning. I also quietly let him know at the counter, as new customers were coming in, that the sandwich was wrong. He was very apologetic. I said, "You're learning, but for next time, just so you know." The employees that stood out were the Asian gentleman who corrected the corned beef error, the young gentleman with the pickle spears, and the new employee, the young girl, who has potential. The rest of them need proper training and should not hang out at the cash register.

Do better, Firehouse Subs. You used to be a favorite.

Also, the "Contact support" feature on website is not working. I tried before making this a public post.

Hey Anna, I strongly suggest you re-read the last...

Friday September 16th 16 minute wait for one sub that was obviously rushed so the employees could go home. I placed my order for ONE sub at 8:40 pm. Sub was handed to me at 8:56. At 8:40 5 of 6 staff were working on making subs. 5 minutes later...15 minutes before closing and only 1 employee is making subs while the other 5 did whatever cleaning and closing up tasks they felt necessary because they wanted to go home while I sat with another 3 customers and waited. And waited. I understand everyone wants to go home at the end of the day but the lack of care for waiting customers was unacceptable. The customer ahead of me ordered 4 subs! And one employee to make them all! Plus the customer ahead of him and mine. Does management not instruct their staff to make getting happy customers out of the door a priority REGARDLESS of the time of day? Do staff only get paid until 9 on the dot? If thats the case maybe Firehouse should stop taking orders 30 minutes early. I have paid for over priced subs there many times because they are good. But NOT worth more than 15 minutes of my life. This was the worst sub I have had there because clearly the one employee who got "stuck" actually serving paying clients clearly wanted to go home too. It was a joke. Never going to step foot in this place again.

Now Dec 11 2022

Half the sub is off the bun from the half-baked staff making it. He only cut the top of the sub, so I had to tear and ripped the bun. AND STILL NO PICKLE....NO PICKLE!! I think the kids in there are pocketing them. What else can I think when the PICKLE is rarely there? Unreal. Uber is their main focus and not the customer who takes the time to go and pick up their food. All not really a big deal except that they charge almost 20$ for their full size subs. Unreal. They need to get their S together there as I'm close to no longer spending my money at this location cuz they can't build subs or put things as basic as a pickle in with the order. That is a staple....pickle in every sub. Basic stuff one...

I have recently become a Firehouse Subs convert and would like to tell you why. My first visit was about a week before Christmas and it was late in the evening and was exhausted from the crowds and stress of the Christmas shopping and needed something hot, filling and satisfying to eat to recharge my drained batteries! lol. I walked into the store and was immediately impressed with how clean the place was. I was welcomed to the store by all 4 of the staff that were out front. Upon hearing it was my first time i was given a tour of their menu board and what they had to offer and I was impressed that it was not the same as you find at every other sub shop. For starters they had two soup options ( tomato bisque and broccoli cheddar) and a chilli available even though I arrived a half hour before they closed. I ordered a hook and ladder and a bowl of chilli for myself, a turkey bacon ranch with a bowl of broccoli and cheese for my son and a ham and cheese with a bowl of tomato bisque for his fiancé. The service was quick, friendly and worked well as a team. We received our order and were informed that they numbered our subs and which one was which, thanked us for coming and cheerfully wished us a Merry Christmas and a safe drive home! We spent the drive home talking about the great experience we had compared to the other sub shops we have been to where the employees always seemed to be moody and under staffed. Once home we settled down at the table and were pleased to find that all of our soups were still hot and the meats on the subs were too. A bonus considering how cold it was and the 20 minute drive.

Now let’s talk about the food! I am a chilli fan and I have to say that they have the best chilli I have ever had from a quick serve restaurant! My family were really happy with their soups too. When I opened my sub I was impressed by the amount of meat, and it was so tasty too! Needless to say Firehouse Subs is my families new go...