Firehouse Subs has appointed Carolina Berti as Chief Marketing Officer for its U.S. and Canadian operations. She will oversee brand marketing, menu development, and guest engagement at a time when the sandwich chain is stepping up its growth push.

Berti joins from Tim Hortons, where she spent nearly ten years in senior roles, most recently as vice president of marketing and innovation. During her tenure, she helped the Canadian coffee brand string together 17 straight quarters of sales growth and pushed more than 100 product launches to market.

Mike Hancock, president of Firehouse Subs, called her mix of creativity and business acumen a key to “writing the next chapter” for the brand. In practice, that means more pressure on menu innovation and loyalty programs, both of which have become standard battlegrounds in quick-service restaurants.

A Brand in Expansion Mode

Founded in Jacksonville by two former firefighters in 1994, Firehouse Subs has grown to just over 1,200 restaurants. That number puts it well behind Subway’s 20,000-plus U.S. locations, but still firmly in the conversation with regional players like Jersey Mike’s and Jimmy John’s.

Since being acquired by Restaurant Brands International in 2021, Firehouse has been folded into a portfolio that also includes Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons. RBI has been open about its goal of reaching 40,000 restaurants worldwide by the end of the decade. Firehouse is expected to carry some of that load.

The brand has already announced incentive packages for U.S. franchisees and signed international development deals, including 100 restaurants in Mexico and a target of 500 in Brazil over the next ten years.

Why Marketing Matters Now

Quick-service brands are increasingly treating the CMO role as more than a communications job. Menu launches, digital engagement, and guest loyalty are tied together, and Berti’s portfolio at Firehouse reflects that shift.

Moving a senior executive from Tim Hortons to Firehouse also underscores RBI’s preference to rotate talent inside its system. That approach lets the company cross-pollinate ideas — in this case, coffee-and-bakery playbooks into a sandwich chain — while still keeping leadership aligned at the corporate level.

What to Watch

• Menu as a growth lever: Firehouse has long leaned on hearty sandwiches and community positioning. With Berti in charge, expect more experimentation around limited-time offers or flavor extensions.
• Consistency across markets: Expansion into Mexico and Brazil will test how well Firehouse can keep its identity intact while adapting to local tastes.
• Portfolio dynamics: RBI is making marketing leadership moves across multiple brands. Firehouse’s performance under Berti could signal how well the strategy of internal mobility works in practice.

For retail and restaurant leaders, the appointment highlights how QSR brands are redefining marketing leadership — pulling together product, loyalty, and engagement under one umbrella. Firehouse Subs, still a challenger brand in the U.S. sandwich space, is betting that alignment will be the key to its next phase of growth.