A taste of American sub culture has officially landed in Brisbane’s south, with Firehouse Subs Mt Gravatt opening its doors at Westfield Mt Gravatt — and locals have wasted no time making their enthusiasm known.
The brand, which has grown to more than 1,300 locations across the globe since being founded in Jacksonville, Florida by former firefighter brothers Chris and Robin Sorenson, has chosen the Upper Mt Gravatt shopping centre as the site of its very first Australian restaurant. If opening day is anything to go by, it has hit the ground running. More than 100 customers lined up on launch day, with one Zillmere resident, Jacob Batman, waiting two and a half hours to claim first place — earning himself a year’s worth of subs in the process, totalling 365 meals.
The concept centres on hot, made-to-order sandwiches built around premium proteins and cheeses that are sliced fresh in-house. According to the brand’s global head chef, Thomas Heitz, this in-house slicing approach is deliberate — it keeps ingredients fresh and preserves their full flavour rather than relying on pre-cut meats that can oxidise over time.
Operations manager Daniel Turner says the brand’s foundations have always been straightforward: good food, looking after staff, and giving back to the communities it operates in. That philosophy, he says, is what has driven Firehouse Subs’ growth and kept its loyal following coming back.
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The menu is organised across three categories — premium meats, chicken, and deli — with a range that covers everything from slow-cooked brisket and cheddar to NY pastrami and a triple-cheese veggie melt. The pulled pork sub layers Monterey Jack cheese, slaw, lettuce, Cajun spice and mayo on a toasted roll, while the meatball sub is among the top-selling deli options. For the Brisbane market specifically, four new subs have been added to the core lineup, including barbecue chicken, grilled chicken and peri peri chicken — a nod to local tastes.
Pricing is accessible, with lunch options starting below $10 and combo meals available for under $16.
Turner says the community response on opening day surpassed all expectations, and that building the Firehouse Subs brand across Australia is a long-term commitment for the team.
Worth noting for the geographically minded: despite the Westfield Mt Gravatt name — which the centre adopted in August 2022 — the shopping precinct sits within the suburb of Upper Mt Gravatt, roughly two kilometres south of Mt Gravatt proper. The centre was renamed Westfield Mt Gravatt in August 2022, though it is located in the suburb of Upper Mount Gravatt rather than Mount Gravatt itself.
Either way, for residents across the Mt Gravatt area, a well-priced, generously filled sub is now well within reach — and if that opening day queue is any measure, this one looks set to stick around.
Published 19-August-2026
