---
title: "PrimoHoagies in Rockaway and Wayne Welcome New Ownership"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/615fa695-2542-4c6e-8d04-3f45f4723c51
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20250514_primohoagies_in_rockaway_and_wayne_welcome_new_ownership.html
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2025-05-14T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T17:49:33.004Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1568901346375-23c9450c58cd?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# PrimoHoagies in Rockaway and Wayne Welcome New Ownership

**TL;DR:** PrimoHoagies locations in Rockaway and Wayne have new ownership under James Mentor, who will continue to serve high-quality Italian specialty subs. Mentor has a deep background in the restaurant industry, having worked with several brands including Sbarro and Nathan's Famous.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2025-05-14. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20250514_primohoagies_in_rockaway_and_wayne_welcome_new_ownership.html).*

## Story

Celebrations will be held at the PrimoHoagies in Rockaway on May 15 and at PrimoHoagies in Wayne on May 22, where Mentor will continue to serve the same high-quality, freshly made Italian specialty subs that North Jersey residents have come to know by the brand’s tagline: “It’s not just a hoagie, it’s a Primo.”

“Throughout my career, I’d heard nothing but great things about PrimoHoagies,” said Mentor. “After running operations across several brands, I decided to make the leap into business ownership myself. The quality of the food and the demand for regional brands made the opportunity a no-brainer.”

Mentor’s roots in the restaurant industry run deep. At 16, he started his career as a cashier at Sbarro, where he went on to rise through the ranks until he became a supervising manager. From there, Mentor honed his operations and leadership skills as a general manager for several quick-service concepts like Nathan’s Famous, Chili’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cinnabon and Dunkin’, and even went on to become a district manager for an international French brand.

PrimoHoagies is renowned for its commitment to quality and authenticity. Each hoagie features freshly sliced meats and cheeses from New Jersey-based Thumann’s Deli and award-winning bread baked in-house daily and crafted from Philly-sourced ingredients.

“I’m confident that James is the right person to continue building on the tradition of excellence that we’ve established at our shops in Rockaway and Wayne,” shared Nicholas Papanier Jr., Owner, CEO, and President of PrimoHoagies. “This brand was built with passionate entrepreneurs who want to enrich their communities with exceptional sandwiches crafted with the finest ingredients, and we’re thrilled to welcome James into our franchise family.”

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- QSR (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- restaurant industry (topic)
- new ownership (topic)
- Nathan's Famous (company)
- PrimoHoagies (company)
- Sbarro (company)
- Nicholas Papanier Jr. (person)
- Wayne (location)
- Rockaway (location)
- James Mentor (person)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20250514_primohoagies_in_rockaway_and_wayne_welcome_new_ownership.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/615fa695-2542-4c6e-8d04-3f45f4723c51).