Firehouse Subs has just announced the revival of its beloved hot sauce bar, which was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic back in March 2020.
In a zesty new campaign helmed by agency Orchard Creative, the sandwich chain is giving its fans the heat they've been craving.
The return was initially teased last week on the brand's social media, sending fans clamoring for their favorite flavor of spice.
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According to the brand, loyal customers have asked Firehouse Subs to bring back the hot sauce bar via social media, email, and handwritten letters over the last few years.
Because of this, several branches will display cheeky "I Brought It Back" plaques to honor the super fans who were instrumental in the comeback.
"The Hot Sauce Bar has always been a fan favorite, and we are beyond excited to celebrate guests and bring back this iconic piece of Firehouse Subs' history," Firehouse Subs CMO Dena von Werssowetz said.
According to Firehouse Subs' news release, the revival couldn't have come at a better time, as a 2024 national study found that 85% of all Americans eat hot sauce with their meals.
Now, customers can once again take their pick from classics like Frank's Red Hot and Tabasco to the chain's Captain Sorensen's Batil Pepper Hot Sauce (named after its firefighter founder).
With 13 different varieties of hot sauce ranked on a 1-10 heat scale, Firehouse Subs' famous bar satisfies even the fieriest appetites.
This customization will be free for every customer, whether they are dining in or picking up an order placed online or through the brand's app via Rapid Rescue to Go.
Full bottles of all available hot sauces will also be made available for purchase at participating restaurants.
The campaign will run across OOH and digital.
Firehouse Subs proves that it is in tune with the wants and needs of the brand's fanbase, demonstrating savvy social media marketing.
By simply listening to overwhelming customer demand, brands can transform an obvious decision into a successful campaign that makes everybody happy.
Firehouse Subs and Orchard Creative also launched a campaign in August featuring singing firefighters.
The spot highlights the chain's advocacy of saving lives through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in an entertaining way.
The Mark of a Good Restaurant
"I Thought You Said This Was A Nice Restaurant?" is the first of three new TV commercials to be released as part of the campaign. It opens in a fine dining establishment, where a customer asks a waiter to direct him to the hot sauce bar.
Visibly confused, the waiter simply tells him that the restaurant does not have one.
The increasingly irate customer compares the restaurant to Firehouse Subs, which just brought it back.
Expecting a high-caliber restaurant to at least have 13 bottles of hot sauce, the customer begins screaming, hilariously stomping his feet, and chanting for hot sauce.
The spot ends with a shot of Firehouse Subs' full range of sauces, and a shot of hot sauce being drizzled over a mouth-watering sandwich.
Hot sauce has only grown in popularity over the years, with a report from Transparency Market Research Inc. valuing the global hot sauce market at $9.3 billion in 2021, predicting that it would reach $15 billion by 2031.
Even famous singer Ed Sheeran joined the trend. Spice lords will love his collaboration with Kraft Heinz, which involved the artist signing autographs using his signature hot sauce, Tingly Ted's, in a marketing campaign last month.
Meanwhile, earlier in July, Australian streaming platform BINGE unveiled a new campaign that created limited-edition hot sauces to celebrate the release of "House of the Dragon" Season 2.
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
