New restaurant in Peterborough supporting firefighting community

A new restaurant in Peterborough aims to support the firefighting community.

Firehouse Subs opened on Lansdowne St. W. on Monday morning – the 13th Canadian location for the franchise known for its specialty subs and catering options.

It’s the third restaurant for owners Jason Taylor and two-time Stanley Cup champion Cory Stillman of Peterborough. They also own sites in Ajax, Ont., and in Taylor’s hometown of Whitby, Ont.

“We love everything about the brand and that’s why we invested heavily in it,” said Taylor.

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The chain was founded by Florida firefighting brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen. A key focus is supporting public safety organizations through its Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. In 2005, the chain launched in Canada and to date has raised more than $31,000 to provide funding, life-saving equipment and education opportunities to Canadian first responders and public safety organizations.

“Many first responders make do with older equipment and have limited or no access to needed resources,” said Taylor.

The Peterborough restaurant will give patrons the choice to either round up the bill to the nearest dollar to support the Foundation.

“We have canisters at the cash register than you can drop some change in,” Taylor added.

“And we also sell empty pickle buckets for $2 that goes to this public safety foundation. Local fire fighters get to apply for a grant, and we give out grants three to four times a year for life-saving equipment and training.”

The Peterborough restaurant will also feature local firefighting decor including a custom, hand-painted mural of the Peterborough Fire Services by artist Joe Puskast. There are also sports-related items such as former Peterborough Laker Len Powers and Stillman donning his Peterborough Petes jersey in front of the Peterborough Lift Lock.