Thursday, January 3, 2019

[Yo Adrian!] Primo Hoagies Secures Not So Prime Location For Atlanta Debut

A New Jersey-based sandwich shop is coming to town with its first Atlanta area location planned for Sandy Springs. A franchise of Primo Hoagies, based in Westville, New Jersey, will be opening in Perimeter Town Center, a small center located near the intersection of Peachtree Dunwoody Road and Hammond Drive, not far from Perimeter Mall.  The new restaurant will open in Suite F, a 1,750 square foot space previously home to Gigi's Cupcakes. 



Primo, which specializes in "Old Fashioned Style" "Italian Specialty Sandwiches," was founded in Philadelphia in 1992 and began franchising in 2002.  Today there are about 100 locations, including a couple in both Florida and South Carolina, among others.  

Planning documents indicate that Brian Ottaviano, who according to his LinkedIn page is currently Director at Virtas Partners, a financial advisory firm, is the franchisee bringing Primo to metro Atlanta.  

The new Primo will join existing eateries such as R Rice, and Uncle Julio's in the center.  


Adjacent to the upcoming Primo Hoagies, Curries, an Indian eatery that opened in late 2016 in place of the shuttered Figo Pasta, has sat vacant and available for months despite the siteplan for the Coro Realty Advisors owned center still indicating Figo is the occupant of the space (and Gigi's of their space, too.) 

The Primo space lacks visibility from either Peachtree Dunwoody or Hammond Drive, and the fact that it's a new-to-market brand, with likely little to no brand recognition, will make for a an uphill battle.  

Metro Atlanta, already home to mega chains like Subway, Firehouse Subs, Which Wich, Jimmy John's and  Jersey Mike's Subs, among others, has not been an easy market for smaller, lesser known chains to penetrate.

W.G. Grinders had a least one metro location on Windward Parkway in Alpharetta which has since closed.  Recent market entrants Capriotti's and Lenny's Grill & Subs also have each closed at least one restaurant locally and once dominant Blimpie has closed numerous locations in metro Atlanta as sandwich shop competition has grown fierce.  

Erbert and Gerbert's, Larry's Giant Subs and Slack's Hoagie Shack have also stumbled locally with each having opened and closed locations in metro Atlanta not long after their debuts.  


Potbelly Sandwich Shop, a publicly traded restaurant, had previously expressed an interest in entering the Atlanta market but has thus far not done so.  

Are you surprised that yet another sandwich shop is coming to metro Atlanta?  What is your favorite sandwich shop in metro Atlanta?  What quick serve restaurant would you like to see open next in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below  

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

We need Potbelly so badly. Amazes me that they are not here.

Anonymous said...

Primo Hoagies is good stuff. I can't wait to get one of their Italians. I hope the location doesn't sink it.

Anonymous said...

Ya potbelly would just exploded in Atlanta just like Earl of Sandwich has..

judy3962 said...

Honestly, the best place to get a sub is Publix. Their sandwiches are the best!

Anonymous said...

Publix is great, but wait till you try a Primo. I cannot wait!!

Anonymous said...

@7:17
Earl of Sandwich was actually pretty good the time I tried it out in Perimeter Mall. I don't go there often but figured it was worth a shot. @judy3962 I agree, a Publix sub beats any of these places hands down but a Potbelly would be an excellent addition to ATL.

Anonymous said...

Rising Roll also left Perimeter Town Center last year, opting for a lower lobby level space in the 7000 Central Parkway office building. Unless you work in that building, you would never know it's there, as there is no exterior signage on the building or at the monument sign by the road.

Anonymous said...

Primo Hoagies is amazing. I hope they succeed. I hope they advertise. I hope the local community supports them. They are one of my favorite places. Great sandwiches.

Anonymous said...

My favorite sandwich place in Atlanta is Baldinos on Buford Highway.
Jersey Mike's is good too, depending on the location. Some are way better than others.
Publix is pretty good, but their bread is a little hard so the meat and fillings tend to slide out the back when you try to bite into it.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...