John Raulerson
December 19, 2024 | 2 min to read
Firehouse Subs, U.S. and Canada
RBI Restaurant Service Center
Vice President Quality Assurance
Jacksonville, FL
John Raulerson has a big responsibility: He manages the produce supply program for the Firehouse Subs brand, made up of nearly 1,300 restaurants across North America. He even has developed two items, still featured on the permanent menu today, as well as limited-time offers that make it on the menu seasonally.
He also manages the day-to-day activities of the Quality Assurance (QA) Department, including vendor and product approvals, mitigating operator product issues and ensuring product compliance.
He credits his mom for his early interest in food. “I was always a ‘foodie’ growing up, thanks to my late mom, so I majored in food science at the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and then worked in food manufacturing for the first part of my career,” he says. “Later, I moved into foodservice, and eventually settled at Firehouse Subs, where I’ve developed the legacy QA program.”
For the last six years, he was also in charge of the culinary function, which led him to opportunities to develop new menu items.
He says the favorite part of his job is “working with our diverse, worldwide group of QA and food safety professionals at Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Firehouse Subs, and interacting with our loyal vendor and partners.”
When he isn’t creating new menu items and managing the QA Department at Firehouse Subs, you may find him boating, attending Florida Gator sporting events, or spending quality time with his kids and grandkids.
Raulerson says the thing he likes most about Produce Business magazine is it is a “great source to keep up with produce industry trends, which are important to follow closely in my role.”
As this month’s winner, he will receive a $200 Amazon gift card.
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