Penn Station East Coast Subs, the fast-casual restaurant known for its grilled, made-to-order sub sandwiches, hand-squeezed lemonade, and fresh-cut fries, has signed a multiunit agreement with Chicago native Tony Zagone. Zagone has committed to opening three to five restaurants in the near north suburbs of Chicago over the next three to five years.

Cincinnati-based Penn Station East Coast Subs features grilled sub sandwiches—including the chain’s renowned Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich—and cold deli sandwiches made to order with high-quality ingredients on hearth-baked bread. The menu also includes fresh-cut fries, hand-squeezed lemonade, and chocolate chunk cookies baked daily in the restaurant. Penn Station offers eat-in dining, carryout, and catering.

Zagone is targeting the North Shore for his first location. Penn Station currently has locations in Skokie, Lombard, Bolingbrook, Grayslake, and Gurnee, Illinois.

“I chose to invest in Penn Station for several reasons,” Zagone says. “Penn Station offers great food served in a timely fashion by nice people in a cool place. More importantly, the company has had steady, solid growth, and the ROI meets my immediate and long-term financial goals. I believe that combining my restaurant experience with Penn Station’s awesome food will lead to several successful restaurants in the North Shore.”

Zagone is a graduate of Loyola University and the Culinary & Hospitality Institute of Chicago (now known as Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago). He was previously general manager for Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due, and he is currently general manager of the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews restaurant in Skokie, which he opened in 2009. The Skokie location set the sales record for an opening week for Red Robin at that time.