FDD ITEM 20 · FISCAL 2015–2017
Firehouse Subs Item 20: outlets, exits & growth
In its latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2017, from the 2018 FDD · 7+ years old), Firehouse Subs reported 1,054 franchised outlets at year end. 43 of 1,005 franchised outlets open at the start of the year left the system (exit rate 4.3%, fiscal 2017), while 97 new outlets opened. Systemwide units moved +15.6% over 2015–2017.
| Status (FTC) | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlets at start | 850 | 944 | 1,037 |
| Opened | 107 | 105 | 97 |
| Transfers | 49 | 68 | 61 |
| Terminations | 13 | 10 | 38 |
| Non-renewals | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Reacquired by franchisor | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Ceased — other reasons | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Outlets at end | 944 | 1,037 | 1,091 |
| Net change | +94 | +93 | +54 |
38 terminations + 5 non-renewals + 0 ceased (other) = 43 exits ÷ 1,005 at start = 4.3%
These are the three FTC Item 20 statuses in which a franchised outlet left the system — including voluntary non-renewals and outlets that ceased for other reasons, which can include sales or absorption into another franchise. Transfers (61) are resales, not exits; reacquisitions by the franchisor (5) are tracked separately. There is no official “failure rate”, and not every exit is a closure or a failure; Item 20 does not say why any outlet left. On a small starting base, a single exit moves this rate sharply.
| State | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| FL | 128 | 32 |
| TX | 106 | — |
| GA | 93 | — |
| NC | 64 | — |
| VA | 57 | — |
| SC | 50 | — |
| TN | 48 | — |
| AZ | 40 | — |
| CA | 39 | — |
| AL | 36 | — |
| OH | 28 | — |
| CO | 26 | — |
| IL | 25 | — |
| MO | 25 | — |
| MI | 23 | — |
| IN | 20 | — |
| AR | 19 | — |
| PA | 17 | — |
| KY | 16 | — |
| MD | 16 | — |
| WI | 15 | — |
| LA | 13 | — |
| UT | 13 | — |
| NV | 12 | — |
| MS | 11 | — |
| OK | 11 | — |
| PR | 11 | — |
| KS | 10 | — |
| NE | 9 | — |
| WA | 8 | — |
| NY | 7 | — |
| OR | 7 | — |
| WV | 7 | — |
| MN | 6 | — |
| NJ | 6 | — |
| NM | 6 | — |
| IA | 5 | 5 |
| ID | 4 | — |
| ME | 4 | — |
| MA | 3 | — |
| ND | 3 | — |
| SD | 3 | — |
| CT | 2 | — |
| MT | 1 | — |
| NH | 1 | — |
| AK | 0 | — |
| DC | 0 | — |
| DE | 0 | — |
| HI | 0 | — |
| RI | 0 | — |
| VT | 0 | — |
| WY | 0 | — |
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