Firehouse Subs Crain Highway Retail Center — Restaurant in Maryland

Today was the first time i EVER ate here and ive only ever been here to pick up Doordash orders a few times, but ive never eaten here. today i went in to get that ‘meatball pepperoni sub’ i saw on tv, and when i walk in, there’s like 4-5 huddled around the register and nobody greets me or the other people walking in behind me, i walk up to the register and the guy taking my order was so unenthusiastic to me,was very short with his responses to me, he talked over me every time i was about to respond, then i took a second to figure out what else i wanted, then said “okay ill also get..” loud enough for him to have heard me, and repeated my sub order to him, and he was zoned out the entire time, and i had to repeat myself after he said “what?”; ive worked at Starbucks and i didnt always have a great day but i never subjected customers to it, but this dude clearly was not having a good day or he was stoned and not giving a damn today, or something, but the whole experience was very annoying to me and he wasn’t at all helpful. It made me not wanna return there ever again; and on top of all of that they were out of the meatballs. One of the soda machines on one side was just carbonated water and the area around it was filthy, too; then i got home and my sandwich wasn’t made well at all; all the meat was on one side and the other had a slice of meat on it (i reorganized it and it was fine), but Like the entire experience was bad. The environment is nice cuz of the store and what ive seen on tv, but this store is awful and sadly it’s the only one around here. I hate saying this but that staff needs to be retrained; you dont need to worship the customer, but saying “hello, how’s your day? Welcome to firehouse subs!” Etc like those aren’t difficult…cleaning the restaurant when it’s not busy, then going back to standing around isn’t difficult either, and making a sandwich well enough that the customer doesnt have to REMAKE it isn’t too much to ask. I expected better from a place that prides itself in being about firefighters and first responders. ill give it a try one more time with a different crew in there, but this was 2/10 experience. This was around 5pm so dont go in...

I have always loved the food at Firehouse Subs. In fact, I buy subs there for my kid, friends, and co-workers frequently (on the app and at your store). So this review is not about the quality of your food but my experience at your Waldorf location today. Your customer service is an extension of your business image.

I felt truly unwelcome today. I needed to use the bathroom but I did not make a purchase. As I got to the bathroom door, I saw a signage which states “for paying customer only.” Out of respect for your rules, I walked to the front register and asked if it was ok for me to use the bathroom. The young lady at the cash register informed me that I must purchase something in order to use the bathroom. She went on to explain the reason behind the bathroom “policy” is because people would use your bathroom facility to consume illicit drugs. So this means a customer who buys food at your restaurant would be allowed to use your bathroom and they are less likely to use drugs. I asked what was the cheapest item on the menu so I can use the bathroom. She responded “a cookie which cost 85 cents.” I put $1 down and informed her not to worry about my cookie. She took my $1.

If your bathroom sign says “for employees use only” it would be reasonable to assume that policy was for safety reason because of current health concerns for COVID. But that wasn’t what the sign stated. Your employee had wide discretion in whether to let a potential customer use your bathroom facility. I respect her decision. But to tell me that policy is to deter the use of illicit drugs inside the bathroom was absurd. Today’s experience makes me think twice to patronize your...

I had an awful experience at this firehouse and won't be going back. I ordered a meatball sub for pick up at lunch. I got back to work and opened the sandwich to see it was extremely burnt. I tend to like things a little charred but this was not edible. I take it back to firehouse and there is a line to the door so I walk to the counter where a guy was making sandwiches and told him about my sandwich and said I just needed it remade. A lady interrupts me to say "he's making a ten sandwich order so you will have to wait for that and all these people, it's first come first serve." I replied "I just wanted a sandwich replaced because of my burnt order." She was very rude and snatched the sandwich from me, threw it away and said "it's still going to be 8-10 minutes because that's how long it takes to make" I said "I understand, there's no need to be rude". I asked who the manager was and she smirked and said "Me, We have applications if you want to apply for a job here." I replied with "I have a job where I don't treat people disrespectfully, especially when I make a mistake".

I worked in the food service industry for 15 years, I am understanding when things go wrong or people make mistakes. I work in healthcare now and understand the stresses of being understaffed. I walked in polite and did not deserve to be treated that way. Even the other customers that were there were in awe about the way she spoke to me. She didn't even toast my $12 sandwich that I ultimately waited...