"Firehouse Subs is one of our favorite sandwich chains, ranking sixth out of 21 national sandwich chains. While they offer soups and salads, Firehouse Subs' sandwiches are what keep customers coming back time and time again. Ironically, Firehouse Subs began with an order that wasn't a sub, but a hot dog."
"In an interview for the Jacksonville Daily Record, owners and founders Robin and Chris Sorensen said that the first order on Firehouse Subs' opening day in 1994 was for "two hot dogs with everything added, which was about 10 ingredients." To that effect, a 2021 article from Firehouse Subs' own website stated that the hot dog was a menu item known as "the 'Dalmatian Dog' which consisted of an all-beef hot dog served with a choice of chili, relish, cheese, slaw, onions, mustard, ketchup on a poppy seed bun.""
"While Firehouse Subs' first order was for hot dogs, the founders were clearly expecting subs to be first and foremost on customers' minds. To that effect, you won't find a hot dog on Firehouse Subs' menu today, or most other sandwich chains for that matter. This begs the highly controversial question: are hot dogs considered sandwiches? Answers are as split as the roll these dogs are served on."
Firehouse Subs opened in 1994 and received an initial order for two hot dogs loaded with about ten ingredients. The early hot dog offering, dubbed the 'Dalmatian Dog,' paired an all-beef hot dog with choices such as chili, relish, cheese, slaw, onions, mustard, ketchup, and a poppy seed bun. The founders had concentrated operations on subs and found complex hot-dog orders surprising and time-consuming. Over time, subs became the dominant customer choice and the driver of the chain's success. Hot dogs are largely absent from modern sandwich-chain menus, and classification of hot dogs as sandwiches remains contested.
Read at Tasting Table
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