The scent of freshly baked hoagie rolls, gourmet spices and sliced vegetables will greet customers as they walk through the door.
Sliced meats and cheeses await them at the deli counter.
PrimoHoagies, a Philadelphia-based sandwich franchise with 100 locations around the country, is coming to South Michigan soon. The restaurant chain recently announced plans to debut in the Great Lakes State with an eight-store franchise deal.
Franchisee William Kulick said he’s searching for sites for the new stores, but expects grand openings for the first locations in early 2024.
“I’m super excited,” he said. “I cannot wait to get my first stores open and I can’t wait to get a foot in the door in Michigan to get everything going. I couldn’t be more excited for the brand.”
While the Primos will be clustered in metro Detroit and the surrounding counties of Oakland and Macomb counties, Kulick also plans to plant flags in Ann Arbor.
Primos is a family-owned restaurant chain launched in 1992 that’s known for hot and cold hoagies layered with gourmet Thumann’s cheeses and gourmet meats.
The menu features cheese steaks, wraps, vegetarian dishes, hoagie shop staples like the Italian and roast beef, along with dozens of specialty sandwiches like the Suprimo and Bada Boom.
“It’s a classic-Philadelphia Italian deli, and I can’t wait to bring it to Michigan,” Kulick said. “I’ve spent plenty of time up there, and there’s just nothing like it out there. It’s super high-quality Italian hoagies with all the right meats and the key is the bread.”
The award-winning seeded hoagie rolls are pre-made at a Liscio’s Italian Bakery in South Jersey and freshly baked to order at each store. Michigan will become the ninth state to welcome Primos. The franchise already has locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
There are currently 85 more stores under development with 125 slated to open by the end of the year, company officials said.
Earlier this month, the company celebrated a milestone, opening its 100th deli shop with a store in Sewell, New Jersey.
Kulick became familiar with Primos while visiting friends and family who’ve lived in the Philly.
“I’ve been visiting and eating Primos for 20 years and I never knew that it was this large franchise,” he said. “I always thought it was a local deli.”
A public accountant by trade, Kulick said he easily recognized the good economics of joining the Primos franchise. He signed the agreement for the eight new Michigan stores earlier this year, and he’s also working to open locations in Florida and Louisiana.
“They’ve been doing this 30 years,” he said of Primos. “It’s all just kind of grassroots, been built out and now they’ve really professionalized everything to grow the brand. But they have a really good focus on keeping the quality right and working with the operators. It’s been a great experience so far.”
