Firehouse Subs brings back fan-favorite Hot Sauce Bar with new campaign

Dive Summary:

• Firehouse Subs is bringing back its free Hot Sauce Bar and announcing its return with a marketing campaign. according to a company announcement.
• The marketing campaign will include three national TV spots, social media, outdoor billboards and digital advertising. Additionally, a select number of restaurants will be adorned with a plaque that says “Bringing Back” to recognize the superfans who pioneered the cause of re-establishing Hot Sauce Bar.
• The Return Quick service restaurant The chain’s 13-sauce condiment bar comes after a four-year hiatus. The chain removed the feature from its restaurants in March 2020 when the pandemic hit, but brought it back after significant fan backlash.

Diving Insight:

In case you haven’t heard, spicyIndeed, according to a national survey by Wired Research, cited by Firehouse Subs, 85% of Americans now use hot sauce in their food, so the chain is getting back into the game.

The return of Hot Sauce Bar is announced with a multi-channel marketing campaign featuring an ad depicting a couple dining at a fancy restaurant. The customer becomes angry when he realizes the restaurant does not have a hot sauce bar and eventually demands “at least” 13 different kinds of hot sauce for his own use. He eventually attempts to lead the other customers in a chant demanding hot sauce, which clearly embarrasses his date.

“Over the past several years, we’ve heard countless guests begging for our Hot Sauce Bar to return on social channels, via email and even in handwritten letters,” Dena vonWerssowetz, chief marketing officer for Firehouse Subs, said in a press release. “Our fans are passionate and this complementary addition to the Hot Sauce Bar provides a unique, personalized and delicious experience.”

The Hot Sauce Bar has 13 sauces, each labeled on a heat scale from one to ten. Flavors include: Datil Chili sauce that boasts a slight sweetness and a touch of tang Sizzling‘ Scorpion sauce containing scorpions and scorpions habanero peppers. The product range includes Tabasco, Frank’s Red Hot and CholulaSauces can be added in the restaurant or requested when ordering online.

Earlier this year, Firehouse Subs adopted the multi-agency staffing model to drive greater scale and marketing to stand out in the increasingly crowded QSR sandwich market. The roster now includes Orchard, who takes on chief creative duties, and Omnicom’s PHD for media and the data-driven Omni platform. Other appointments include Quality Meats (handling activations and partnerships), 500 Degrees (in-restaurant marketing and on-premise experiences), Jones Knowles Ritchie (design) and ICR (public relations).

Firehouse Subs, owned by Restaurant Brands International (RBI) since 2021, has opened its first branches Outside North America last year and now looking for bringing the brand to the Middle EastRBI sees systemwide sales up 5.0% YoY in Q2 2024 with Firehouse Subs 3.3% growth achieved.