To fans’ dismay, Firehouse Subs shut down its hot sauce bars when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in March 2020. Now the sandwich chain is celebrating the triumphant return of its hot sauce bars with a humorous campaign in which heat lovers expect to find the condiment everywhere.
The protagonists in the ads, by agency Orchard Creative, consider a hot sauce bar a must-have amenity.
In one spot, a woman touring her dream home declares, “this house is garbage,” and storms out after the real estate agent explains it doesn’t have a hot sauce bar.
Elsewhere, a man at a fancy restaurant throws a tantrum when he learns he doesn’t have his choice of 13 varieties of hot sauce like he would at Firehouse Subs.
In the third ad, guests start leaving a wedding after learning there’s no hot sauce bar at the reception. The band even sings about the unfortunate oversight.
Over the past few years, Firehouse Subs customers have asked for the hot sauce bar to return through social media, email, and even sending handwritten letters. Select restaurants will display custom “I Brought It Back” plaques to honor that enthusiasm.
Firehouse Subs teased the hot sauce bar’s return with social media posts counting down to Sept. 23. The relaunch campaign also features billboards and digital advertising.
According to a September study by Wired Research, 85% of Americans use hot sauce. Firehouse Subs’ sauce bar features 13 varieties ranked on a 1-10 heat scale ranging from Captain Sorensen’s Datil Pepper Hot Sauce — named for the chain’s firefighter founder — to Deep Canyon Co. Sizzlin Scorpion Hot Sauce.
Beyond spicing up their sandwiches in the restaurant, diners can also buy bottles to take home.