DISCOUNT DENIED: POOLER VETERANS TAKE TO SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER FIREHOUSE SUBS VETERANS DAY DEAL BLUNDER
Firehouse Subs is a fast-food chain known for giving back to first-responders through donations and discounts; however, the giving experience was far from what customers and Veterans experienced on Veterans Day this year at a Firehouse Subs location in Pooler, GA. The Savannah adjacent location is now facing some serious backlash on social media from customers, which largely include Veterans and their families, who were treated with disrespect by the store’s owner when they requested the nationally advertised Veterans Day meal special to be honored. We’ve got the full scoop on this breaking news story including exclusive interviews with an employee at the Firehouse Subs Pooler, GA location and a customer who experienced the rude treatment first-hand.
What Was the Veterans Day Deal Offered by Firehouse Subs?
On November 11th, 2024, the Firehouse Subs in Pooler, GA was one of the thousands of locations across the country that was participating in the Veterans Day meal special.
To show appreciation for our nation’s Veterans, the chain was offering a free meal that included a medium sub, chips or a cookie, and a drink (military ID required).
The deal was valid for all Veterans and active-duty service members.
Military Families & Veterans Disrespected and Cursed at by Firehouse Subs Pooler, GA Store Owner
On Veterans Day, the Firehouse Subs Pooler, GA location was heavily trafficked by military Veterans, who sacrificed much for their nation, and their families. However, their experiences were quite disappointing, as many were shown disrespect.
One specific customer took to social media to share her experience at the Pooler location. She and her parents, who are all military Veterans, were spoken to rudely when they walked into the restaurant, and immediately felt uncomfortable.
They were met with unkind words and treatment by the store’s owner when they placed an order for the Veterans Day free meal deal. We conducted an exclusive interview with the customer’s mother, to get a deeper understanding of how they were treated. This was their experience.
Pooler Store Owner Shows Disrespect and Uses Profanities Towards 3 Military Veterans
On Veterans Day, she and her daughter decided to stop by their local Firehouse Subs location to get sandwiches for their family, after a quick Veterans Day meal deals Google search at home.
With them, they brought a paper copy of the Firehouse Subs Veterans Day promotion. When they went into the Pooler location to order their meals, they were immediately met with disrespect by the owner and felt unwelcome at the restaurant.
They were reportedly spoken to rudely, and when they asked the owner if the location was honoring the Veterans Day deal, the owner responded, “Yes, unfortunately." The family placed their orders, and even paid to upgrade the size. Shortly after, he went outside to take the trash out and began slamming doors and started using profanities.
When the family sat down to eat their meal, the owner got visibly more upset, walking around the floor of the restaurant reportedly complaining about serving Veterans and saying, “I’ve gotten four calls from corporate because of these SOBs and how I’ve treated them today.”
He was also reportedly visibly angered that he had to offer the promo to Veterans and military families stating, “I’m losing over $4,000 in profit because of this.” He went on to reportedly state, “You Veterans are entitled because you served your country. I’m tired of you getting free stuff.”
There have also been reports that the owner was noticeably upset about his location offering the Veterans Day deal in the days leading up to November 11th. When one of the Veterans in the community asked him if his location was offering a Veterans Day meal special this year, he reportedly yelled at them and berated them with inappropriate comments.
The family took to social media to share their experience, as they felt called to speak. We asked the mother of the daughter who was rudely treated by the store owner why their family chose to speak up.
She explained, “There is a very high statistic of homeless Veterans. What if a homeless Veteran went in and he treated them like that? That’s why we stood up. He was practically bragging about doing this to others. He was saying how corporate was trying to make him do the promotion, but he wasn’t having it. That’s why we chose to speak.”
Hundreds of Customers, Veterans, and Military Family Members Share Their Experience on Facebook
This family’s experience is not unique, as the Pooler location’s Facebook page has received over 100 negative reviews, shedding light on the owner’s rude treatment of customers and Veterans. Here are a few of the reviews:
“To the owner of this sub shop, never allow your profits to over ride your mouth. As a veteran I never go out on veterans day or ask for discounts unless it a large purchase and the savings are worth it. But what you did was wrong and you should apologize before you lose even more business. I for one will never visit any of your locations.”
“Rude and disrespectful owner! Owner berated customers on Veteran’s Day and spoke poorly of our Veterans and Active Duty.”
“Chad (owner) cussing at Veterans on Veterans Day because Chad wasn't prepared for them. Please don't ever pretend you care for Veterans. We will NOT be giving any of our hard earned money to your establishment again! So the 4k in profit you lost on Veterans Day will definitely be carried forward.”
The Legal Ramifications of Not Honoring an Advertised Deal
The Firehouse Subs location in Pooler, GA did not uphold the advertised deal put into place by the company as a whole. Thus, the franchise could experience legal ramifications.
According to the law, if a restaurant, or establishment advertises a deal to the public, and does not honor it, the establishment or restaurant chain could face legal repercussions under consumer protection laws. This includes facing potential lawsuits for false advertising, and fines, though this is dependent upon the details of the situation and the jurisdiction’s laws.
The Division of Advertising Practices, or DAP, is in charge of enforcing the nation’s “truth-in-advertising” laws. Under these laws, a business and advertisers are required to tell the truth and to back up their claims.
Individual states also have their own laws on false advertising and deceptive trade practices. Georgia’s deceptive trade practices law bans false advertising. Under the law, such action is categorized as a misdemeanor charge and allows for the victims of such practices to sue for damages.
Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act applies directly to customer transactions, and prohibits the following activities:
- Passing off goods/services as those of another
- Misrepresenting used products as new and misrepresenting the product’s origin
- Making false claims about the quality or grade of a product or service
- The use of “bait-and-switch” tactics
- Making misleading statements about a sale price or deal
- Not having enough stock to meet expected consumer demand
An Exclusive Interview With a Pooler Location Employee
VeteranLife had an exclusive conversation with a Pooler location employee who was able to explain the event in more detail. This employee asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.
When asked why the location wasn’t honoring the Veterans Day deal, they explained, “It comes down to the owner. This is not the first time the owner has lashed out or said such things, especially to his employees. Even beyond what happened on Monday, this is a recurrent thing that happens all the time.”
The employee further explained, “We’ve been getting call after call about not honoring the Veterans Day deal. It simply comes down to the store owner, and where he holds his standards at. The manager and the employees have been honoring the deal at this location.”
According to this employee, the owner of the Pooler Firehouse Subs location hasn’t returned back to the store location since the reported incident occurred.
The owner of this Firehouse Subs location in Pooler also owns 4 other locations in the area including 3 locations in Savannah, GA and one in Richmond Hill.
The employee went on to explain, “People all over the U.S. are calling this location and are very upset. They are looking at the store as a whole thinking all the employees are associated with his (the owner’s) views. However, this isn’t the truth.”
As of Tuesday at 12 p.m. the Pooler location turned off the ability for new reviews to be written on their Facebook page.
VeteranLife has reached out to Firehouse Subs' media contacts, the Mayor of Pooler, as well as Firehouse Subs National for a comment on this incident. No responses from these sources were issued as of Wednesday evening.
Firehouse Subs to Donate $25,000 After Veterans Day Backlash
There is now a new development in the ongoing Firehouse Subs story that has social media outlets buzzing. As of Thursday night, Firehouse Subs has issued an official apology regarding the Pooler Veterans Day blunder.
The company has taken to social media, offering their deepest apologies stating, "We take our history of supporting Veterans and First Responders seriously, and we are taking immediate action to address this matter with the franchisee. This experience is not representative of the proud work of our brand, our franchisees and thousands of team members nationwide who collectively served nearly 150,000 meals this Veterans Day as a token of gratitude to our local heroes."
Firehouse Subs has said that they have pledged to donate $25,000 to a local Veteran organization that the family has recommended. The donation will come from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.
Note: Savannah Morning News was the first to report this story.
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