The Firehouse Subs in this restaurant review is on the outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Look for it about 3/4 mi. from the I-75 Emory Road Exit in Powell. It’s on the main highway just past the hospital. The address for this business is as follows:
Firehouse Subs
603 E Emory Rd, #106
Powell, TN 37849
Phone: 865.859.0447
Hours of Operation are: Monday - Saturday 9:00 am - 10:00 pm; Sunday 10:30 am. - 9:00 pm
All of the Firehouse subs have the great red and white firehouse theme with Dalmation-style spotted tables. The nicest thing about this Firehouse Subs is how friendly the staff is. When you walk in you are greeted with a "Hello (or hi) welcome to Firehouse." If you have questions the staff will gladly answer.
Today, we arrived during lunchtime at about 12:30. There were 3 people already in line ahead of us and several people sitting down. It took a few minutes for us to decide what we wanted to eat so having to wait wasn’t a bad thing for us. Besides, it only seems to take the staff a minute to get your order no matter how far back in the line you are.
Everyone was their usual friendly selves at this Firehouse Subs. I didn’t see any nametags so I couldn’t tell you who the cashier was who took our order. I ordered the No. 5 on wheat without tomatoes or onions. Hubby got the Italian Sub fully loaded. (It’s his favorite.) The cashier was efficient, gave us our cups, pointed out the chips,and said they would have the sandwiches out as soon as they could.
At the drink station, Hubby found out that this Firehouse Subs was out of Coke Zero. He consoled himself with making do with real Coke. Life’s tough like that sometimes. I was able to get my normal iced tea. The station was neat and tidy which made it easy to find the sweetener and lids.
A few minutes (and half a bag of chips) later the employee arrived with our sandwiches. Both looked and smelled good. The Firehouse Subs sandwiches were warm and the cheese perfectly melted. The shredded lettuce looked crisp and flavorful. So far, so good. Hubby dived in enthusiastically. He was quite pleased with his sandwich and said the food quality was excellent.
As I took a bite of the sandwich an odd smell stopped me cold. Thinking "uh-oh", I pulled off the top of the bun. There laying underneath and completely covered by the bun top was several circular white pieces of onions - the exact kind of which I am most allergic.
I trotted up the cashier and asked what part of "no onions" did the team not understand. He said he told them no onions and verified it on a ticket. He apologized and said they would fix it quickly. I told him that this happens sometimes and that because it was a food allergy I couldn’t just pick the onions off. He seemed to understand, apologized and said they’d be right out with a correct sandwich.
About 3 minutes later another employee trotted up with my new sandwich. This one was also piping hot with perfectly melted cheese. Best of all, it had no onions or tomatoes in sight. If it had been on the right bread this Firehouse Subs sandwich would almost have been perfect.
This employee said he’d be right back with another sandwich. He also said that he was new and trying really hard to get things right. At this point, I just had to laugh.
A few minutes later the guy who delivered the first Firehouse Sub brought out try #3. As he placed it in front of me he proudly told me that he double checked before bringing the sandwich out. This was on the right bread and had no onions. He was sure of that and seemed proud of himself.
I smiled and thanked him. Then I picked off the tomatoes and finally got to start eating my lunch. At this point, even though the sandwich was wrong again I just wanted to eat my lunch and leave. The sandwich guy gave me a funny look as he walked away from the table but didn’t say anything. I saw him pick up a ticket at the register and hit his forehead with his hand. By this time, things are getting comical.
The next thing I knew the manager was on his way over. He wanted to make sure that I wasn’t allergic to the tomatoes that had been accidentally placed on my Firehouse Sub. I told him that I’m not. I just don’t like them and that everything was ok.
He apologized and offered to remake the sandwich himself (which I declined). He also gave me a card for a free sandwich on my next visit. I thanked him and assured him that I would be back.
They really did seem to be a little embarrassed by their mistakes at the Firehouse Subs in Powell. I’m taking that as a sign that (despite the problems) they do care. This is getting to be rare these days.
Because of today’s problems I’m only giving them 2 Stars. The Firehouse Subs sandwich alone would normally have earned 5 Stars. We’ll try this Firehouse Subs location again someday. Hopefully things will go smoother next time.
Sources:
- Personal Experience
- Firehouse Subs
