--- title: "PrimoHoagies Franchisee Shares Path From Youngest in the System to Multi-Unit Owner" url: https://burnaze.com/article/c08b4eaa-89ba-419b-a78f-5d48ffe22fea source: "Franchise Times" original_url: https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/primohoagies-franchisee-shares-path-from-youngest-in-the-system-to-multi-unit-owner/article_c2bbd2da-6366-477e-8842-bbba377ac674.html category: "Sandwich & sub" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Sandwich & sub" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2026-10-29T12:19:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:15:36.508Z image: https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/franchisetimes.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/e3/3e3f3bd0-467e-4d74-8507-5f5b975c5c56/6ada6738e3200.image.jpg?crop=1000%2C525%2C0%2C352 --- # PrimoHoagies Franchisee Shares Path From Youngest in the System to Multi-Unit Owner **TL;DR:** Krish Patel, at 21, became the youngest PrimoHoagies franchisee with two locations in New York's capital region. He operates two PrimoHoagies locations, with a third in planning, and aims to grow at his own pace. *originally published in Franchise Times on 2026-10-29. [Read the original](https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/primohoagies-franchisee-shares-path-from-youngest-in-the-system-to-multi-unit-owner/article_c2bbd2da-6366-477e-8842-bbba377ac674.html).* ## Story “We introduced cheesesteaks to the area,” he said. “I don’t think anybody did them when we first came. That was the big thing in the beginning. It’s an Eagles bar now. Sundays, the whole place is filled with Eagles fans.” While he saw his dad, Rocky Patel, work long hours supporting the family, the younger Patel had enough good times there to fall in love with the restaurant industry. “You just get to meet so many different people,” Krish Patel said. “That was always a cool thing. When you are a young kid, people are loving you, too.” Patel worked for his dad for several summers and then full time for nearly three years after graduating from trade school. Despite his schooling in electrical work, he continued to feel the pull of restaurants, though Patel talked with his father about the late, long hours and constant need for adaptation: The Philly Bar is on its second name change, which Patel said has happened after each major renovation. After considering the potential drawbacks, Patel decided he loved the industry, but also wanted a bit more stability and free time. “The hours are a lot over there,” he said of working at Philly Bar. “At the time I was there, we closed at 4 a.m.” Instead of sticking with his dad or starting his own concept, Patel tapped into his Philadelphia roots to bring PrimoHoagies to New York’s capital region. It’s a brand he enjoyed during family travels between his hometown by birth and his adopted one. “On our trips back and forth, we would usually always stop,” he said. “It was always something we’d been familiar with and enjoyed.” Patel operates two PrimoHoagies locations, one in Latham and the other in Albany. A third is in the planning stages. His franchise agreement calls for up to 10, though he’s not in a hurry to max out. “We definitely want to grow,” he said. “We’re just doing it at our own pace at the moment, taking it day by day.” He has time. When Patel signed his agreement in 2023, he became, at 21, the youngest franchisee in the system. He knew the commitment meant spending long days slicing meat and assembling sandwiches, but he doesn’t mind the work. He’s used to it from his days with his dad. “It definitely instilled a great work ethic,” he said, but he noted that now he gets to close up shop by 8 p.m. Despite the intense competition from larger sandwich brands, including Jersey Mike’s, Subway and Firehouse Subs, Patel remained loyal to the Westville, New Jersey-based brand that celebrates the flavors of Philadelphia he associates with his youth—and with the highest quality sandwich he says he’s eaten. “We didn’t think any of the other franchises around here had the same quality and the same product,” Patel said. “We wanted to bring that back here.” While Patel is happy with efforts PrimoHoagies is making to promote the brand and its quality food, he knows it’s part of his job as a franchisee to spend time in his community, sponsoring local sports teams and providing free samples in hopes that word-of-mouth promotion will bring customers in to try PrimoHoagies. The brand ended 2025 with 125 locations, 114 of which are franchised. Systemwide sales were $94.6 million last year. Average annual gross sales for franchise units hit $927,299. “We’re not even a full three years in,” he said. “This is the time where you need to really build it up. You have to be there to do that in the right way.” Rocky Patel is also opening another restaurant in the next few months, this one an Irish bar. The father and son talk daily, just to check on how things are going. They don’t trade a lot of advice, but do talk shop. “We just treat it like a family business,” he said, finding balance between asking for help and figuring things out himself. “If I’m running into any hardships, things like that, we tend to talk about business a lot. I try not to bug him too much and try to be a little bit independent.” ## Entities - unit expansion (topic) - QSR (sector) - restaurant industry (topic) - new york (location) - Franchise Times (publication) - franchisee story (topic) - brand loyalty (topic) - PrimoHoagies (company) - Albany (location) - Krish Patel (person) - Rocky Patel (person) - Philly Bar (company) --- Originally reported by Franchise Times (https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/primohoagies-franchisee-shares-path-from-youngest-in-the-system-to-multi-unit-owner/article_c2bbd2da-6366-477e-8842-bbba377ac674.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c08b4eaa-89ba-419b-a78f-5d48ffe22fea).