FRANCHISE OWNER EXPANDS TO KETTERING, CENTERVILLE

A local franchise owner for Firehouse Subs is now the owner-operator of all five Dayton-area restaurants after acquiring stores in Kettering and in Cornerstone of Centerville — and he is now seeking to add more locations throughout the Miami Valley.

Seth Grusenmeyer, who already operated Firehouse Subs locations in Oakwood near the University of Dayton, in Englewood and in Huber Heights, has acquired the Far Hills Avenue Kettering and Centerville restaurants from Dave Baker.

“This will allow us to grow much more quickly,” Grusenmeyer told this news outlet. “We want to be able to bring our services to the south market and to expand our footprint elsewhere.”

The franchisee said he is looking to add stores in areas such as Springfield; the Troy/Tipp City area; the south suburbs of Dayton; and Richmond, Ind.

An area developer for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Firehouse Subs chain told this news outlet in 2012 that the company planned to open as many as nine locations in southwest Ohio. There are also Firehouse Subs locations in Sidney, Hamilton and West Chester. The fast-casual chain operates 1,135 restaurants in 44 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, and has donated more than $35 million to public safety organizations through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

Grusenmeyer is confident his restaurants will be able to compete, and says part of that confidence comes from the strong performance of the existing Dayton-area stores.

“We offer a superior service, a superior product, and we use only quality meats and cheeses. Our portions and overall experience are unique to Firehouse,” he said. “We have something everyone wants, and you can’t get it everywhere.”