JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The future is at your fingertips – just reach out and touch it. Firehouse Subs restaurants across the country are rolling out the next generation of the Coca-Cola Freestyle beverage dispensing platform, making Firehouse Subs the first national chain to have the newest dispenser. Dubbed Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100, this upgrade embraces innovation and personalization in a whole new way, now letting guests select, mix and pour 175+ drink choices, creating more flavor options than ever before.
“At Firehouse Subs, we are always looking for new ways to delight our guests, and that’s exactly what Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100 does,” said Don Fox, CEO, Firehouse Subs. “Just as our crew members can customize any sub to our guests’ tastes, Freestyle 9100 allows guests the freedom to get the drink they are craving – whether it’s sparkling water, a sports drink, lemonade, tea or a sparkling soft drink – the way they want it. We’re thrilled that during our 25th year in business, this nationwide rollout makes Firehouse Subs the only place people will always find the new Freestyle 9100 in 2019.”
Firehouse Subs and Coca-Cola Freestyle have been partners in innovation for more than a decade. Firehouse Subs was one of the first restaurants to roll out the original Coca-Cola Freestyle in 2007, and Firehouse Subs is also the only place people can get the Freestyle-exclusive beverages Cherry Lime-Aid™, Cherry Lime-Aid Light, Sparkling Cherry Lime-Aid and Sparkling Cherry Lime-Aid Light, served with fresh-squeezed lime.
Chris Hellmann, vice president and general manager, Coca-Cola Freestyle, said Firehouse Subs has been a great partner on the journey to bring consumers an enhanced Freestyle experience through innovation in new equipment.
“Choice and personalization are not fads – they're here to stay,” Hellmann said, adding that “Coca-Cola Freestyle is focused on contemporizing the beverage experience to give consumers even more options when finding the perfect drinks to pair with their Firehouse Subs.”
With its sleek design, superior interface, expanded drink selection and more, Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100 creates a revolutionary beverage experience for Firehouse guests.
- New Design: Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100 is the embodiment of retro-modern. The dispenser’s clean lines and bold colors point guests to the main attraction – the larger, high-definition display with improved touchscreen functionality.
- New Recipes and Seasonal Drink Offerings: An improved content management system allows Coca-Cola to release “digital recipes” over the air, right to the dispenser, surprising Firehouse guests with unique drink offerings like Team USA custom mixes, Fanta Halloween and Coca-Cola Holiday mixes. New brand choices include Orange Vanilla Coke and Sprite Lymonade, plus limited-time flavors of Minute Maid Lemonade.
“We've also built this platform with the future in mind,” Hellmann said. “We added microphones, speakers, optical sensors and a new equipment option that will eventually support the addition of drink categories not available on Freestyle today, such as teas and new varieties of juices.”
“In addition to the enhanced experience for the customer, we are thrilled that with the technological advancements made, there are many operational benefits that allow our family of franchisees to seamlessly provide our guests with a positive experience,” Fox said. “With the rollout of the new Freestyle 9100 in our locations, the upgrades position Coke and Firehouse Subs as technology leaders in our industry.”
Beverage Digest named Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100 Best Technology Innovation for 2018. "FS9100 offers the highest-quality beverages to consumers with the choices they expect and an engaging experience,” the industry publication writes. “The new dispenser includes: artificial intelligence, real-time cloud connectivity, large high-definition screen with a dual display, optical and motion sensors, Bluetooth technology and more beverage options to choose from.”
The dispenser also won an iF Design Award and Good Design Award, both considered to be among the world’s most prestigious design excellence programs.
“These awards validate both the exceptional design of Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100, which brings to life the brand’s heritage with a modern ‘wow’ factor, and our leadership and innovation in the dispensed beverage category,” said Eric Lewis, group marketing director, Coca-Cola Freestyle.
More than 115 Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100 dispensers are now available at Firehouse Subs restaurants in select cities across the country – including Richmond, Va., Mobile, Ala., and San Antonio, Texas – with a total of nearly 1,100 dispensers rolling out nationally by the end of the year. A complete list of Firehouse Subs restaurants that will have Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100 is available here.
About Coca-Cola Freestyle
The Coca-Cola Freestyle platform launched in 2009 with Coca-Cola Freestyle 9000 and Coca-Cola Freestyle 8000, high-volume dispensers in self-serve and crew-serve options, respectively. In 2014, the company unveiled Coca-Cola Freestyle 7000, a mid-volume, countertop dispenser. In 2018, Coca-Cola Freestyle continued its legacy of innovation by introducing the next generation of the platform: Coca-Cola Freestyle 9100, which is rolling out nationally in select outlets in 2019. The Coca-Cola Freestyle portfolio offers more than 200 beverage brands, including waters, sports drinks, lemonades, teas, juices and sparkling beverages. Coca-Cola Freestyle users also can select from more than 100 low- and no-calorie options, more than 90 caffeine-free choices and more than 100 beverage brands that are unavailable anywhere else. With so many options, Coca-Cola Freestyle truly offers the kind of variety to meet peoples’ beverage needs and lifestyles.
To learn more about Coca-Cola Freestyle or to find one near you, visit www.coca-colafreestyle.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cocacolafreestyle or follow us on Twitter @ccfreestyle.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands in more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to the company’s Coca-Cola brands, our portfolio includes some of the world’s most valuable beverage brands, such as AdeS plant-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, innocent smoothies and juices, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater and ZICO coconut water. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We’re also working to reduce our environmental impact by replenishing water and promoting recycling. With our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Firehouse Subs
Celebrating 25 years of business in 2019, Firehouse Subs® is a fast casual restaurant chain with a passion for Hearty and Flavorful Food, Heartfelt Service and Public Safety. Founded in 1994 by brothers and former firefighters Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, Firehouse Subs is a brand built on decades of fire and police service, hot subs, steamed and piled high with the highest quality meats and cheeses and its commitment to saving lives through the establishment of the non-profit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®. The founders are the real deal, the food is their creation and the restaurant is built upon a family of franchise operators who share their same passion for generously serving food and community. This year, Firehouse of America, LLC (franchisor for the brand) will donate a portion of all purchases at U.S. Firehouse Subs restaurants to Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, resulting in a minimum donation of one million dollars. Firehouse Subs is consistently recognized as one of the leading brands in the U.S. among consumers. Newsweek recently named Firehouse Subs No. 1 in the fast casual restaurant industry on its 2019 list of America’s Best Customer Service Brands. In 2018, Firehouse Subs was named the No. 1 brand in the restaurant industry that “Supports Local Community Activities” and ranks No. 1 among Fast Casual brands in “Food Quality” and “Taste and Flavor” in Technomic’s Consumer Brand Metrics rankings. Firehouse Subs was also named No. 2 in “America’s Favorite Fast Casual Chain” rankings by Technomic Ignite.
Enjoy more subs. Save more lives. To learn more, visit http://www.firehousesubs.com.
Quick Facts:
More than 1,160 restaurants in 46 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and non-traditional locations $42+ million granted to public safety organizations via Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation® Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.
