PrimoHoagies, known for their Italian specialty sandwiches, is celebrating its 30th anniversary on July 12. The franchise is celebrating by opening its 90th location in West Orange, New Jersey.
People adore PrimoHoagies for their top-quality meats sliced by the order, piled onto freshly baked bread. They view the sandwich shop as their friendly neighborhood Italian deli. The franchise’s revenue growth reflects this sentiment. PrimoHoagies reported a 22% increase in sales between 2020 and 2021, a period when restaurants struggled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company expects another significant increase in its revenue. It’s projected that PrimoHoagies will hit more than $80 million in revenue sales this year alone.
Research shows that eight out of 10 franchisors peak before they are sustainable. Primo is growing slowly and steadily, opening 90 locations in 30 years. To put that in perspective, only 16% of U.S. franchises have more than 100 units. PrimoHoagies anticipates hitting the 100th location mark by the end of this year. This milestone puts them on track to grow the brand and open 300 to 350 new locations across the country over the next five years.
“You won’t find meats and cheeses of this quality anywhere else,” says Eric Bonner, COO of PrimoHoagies. “That’s why we’re excited to continue opening PrimoHoagies franchises across the country. We’re looking forward to these upcoming milestones.”
Nick Papanier, Jr. has been leading the franchise as CEO since 2019, after taking over for his father. With Papanier’s leadership, the specialty hoagie franchise is opening in several new markets this year, including Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, and Colorado. In the last few years, Papanier lowered the franchising fees, which led to 67 new locations across multiple markets in the U.S.
“PrimoHoagies is growing fast,” says Papanier. “From my father’s first franchise location in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, two decades ago to now opening nearly 100 franchise locations come this fall, it’s an exciting time to be a PrimoHoagies franchisee.”
Along with the revenue growth and market expansion, the franchise is expanding its technology side with a new cloud-based POS system. The system will promote better communication and save time and resources for franchisees and customers. The upgrade will also include full integration with Door Dash.
PrimoHoagies stays true to itself, with the primo difference through all the advances. They continue to promise specialty sandwiches with high-quality ingredients from a diverse menu. Participating restaurants also take part in local charity work, as Primo Cares allows customers to round up transactions to the nearest dollar at participating locations. Then, PrimoHoagies donates the funds to a child in need.