Firehouse Subs has actually assigned Carolina Berti as Chief Marketing Police Officer for its U.S. and Canadian procedures. She will certainly supervise brand name advertising and marketing, food selection development, and guest interaction at a time when the sandwich chain is tipping up its development press.
Berti joins from Tim Hortons, where she invested nearly ten years in senior roles, most recently as vice president of advertising and technology. During her period, she assisted the Canadian coffee brand string with each other 17 straight quarters of sales growth and pressed more than 100 item launches to market.
Mike Hancock, head of state of Firehouse Subs, called her mix of imagination and organization acumen a crucial to “writing the following chapter” for the brand name. In technique, that suggests extra pressure on menu advancement and loyalty programs, both of which have ended up being standard battlegrounds in quick-service dining establishments.
A Brand Name in Growth Mode
Founded in Jacksonville by two previous firefighters in 1994, Firehouse Subs has actually expanded to just over 1, 200 restaurants. That number puts it well behind Metro’s 20, 000 -plus U.S. locations, however still firmly in the discussion with local gamers like Jacket Mike’s and Jimmy John’s.
Considering that being gotten by Restaurant Brands International in 2021, Firehouse has been folded right into a profile that additionally includes Hamburger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons. RBI has been open concerning its objective of getting to 40, 000 restaurants globally by the end of the decade. Firehouse is expected to lug a few of that load.
The brand has actually already announced motivation packages for united state franchisees and signed international advancement offers, consisting of 100 dining establishments in Mexico and a target of 500 in Brazil over the next 10 years.
Why Marketing Issues Currently
Quick-service brands are increasingly treating the CMO function as more than an interactions job. Menu launches, electronic interaction, and guest commitment are looped, and Berti’s portfolio at Firehouse mirrors that shift.
Relocating an elderly executive from Tim Hortons to Firehouse additionally underscores RBI’s choice to revolve skill inside its system. That strategy lets the firm cross-pollinate concepts– in this case, coffee-and-bakery playbooks right into a sandwich chain– while still maintaining leadership lined up at the company degree.
What to Watch
- Menu as a growth lever: Firehouse has actually long leaned on hearty sandwiches and community positioning. With Berti in charge, expect more testing around limited-time deals or taste expansions.
- Uniformity throughout markets: Expansion into Mexico and Brazil will certainly test exactly how well Firehouse can maintain its identification intact while adjusting to neighborhood tastes.
- Portfolio characteristics: RBI is making advertising leadership moves across multiple brands. Firehouse’s efficiency under Berti might indicate just how well the technique of inner wheelchair works in method.
For retail and restaurant leaders, the visit highlights just how QSR brand names are redefining advertising and marketing management– pulling together item, loyalty, and interaction under one umbrella. Firehouse Subs, still an opposition brand name in the united state sandwich room, is betting that alignment will certainly be the key to its following phase of growth.