PrimoHoagies to Open First State College Location

Updated at 3:35 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2021 with comment from a PrimoHoagies spokesperson.

A hoagie restaurant chain that got its start in South Philly plans to open its first State College location as part of a nationwide expansion.

PrimoHoagies expects to open its Centre Region shop in early 2022 but a location has not yet been finalized, a company spokesperson said.

“We are currently doing site tours and have a few locations that we’ve liked — but not yet committed to,” the spokesperson said. “There has been a lot of interest in State College regarding the PrimoHoagies brand.”

The restaurant will employ 15 to 20 people.

The State College location is one of 18 new franchise agreements in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida and New Jersey announced by the company in a press release on Tuesday.

Currently, the nearest PrimoHoagies locations to State College are in Schuylkill and Lancaster County.

Founded in Philadelphia in 1992 and now based in South Jersey, the casual restaurant is known for its variety of hoagies, cheesesteaks and Italian specialty sandwiches.

After having its best sales year ever in 2020, PrimoHoagies has seen a 21% increase in sales to date in 2021, according to the company. That has led to unprecedented development, with 54 new stores announced so far this year.

“They say that ‘tough times reveal your true character’ and that’s certainly been true for PrimoHoagies and our dedicated franchisees throughout the pandemic” CEO Nicholas Papanier Jr. said in statement. “By doubling down on our aggressive growth plan, we’ve been able to thrive through hard circumstances.”

The Colorado franchise marks the company’s first move into the western U.S.