PrimoHoagies Strengthens Operational Excellence Under COO Glen Brandeburg

Leadership Team

August 05, 2026 // Franchising.com // PHILADELPHIA - PrimoHoagies is strengthening another critical pillar of its long-term growth strategy through the leadership of Chief Operating Officer Glen Brandeburg.

Brandeburg brings more than three decades of restaurant leadership experience spanning corporate operations, franchise support, field leadership, executive management, and multi-brand franchise operations, and will contribute to building operating systems, franchise support infrastructure, and execution discipline for PrimoHoagies.

The leadership team has been strengthened with Angela Coppler, Alex Chu, Madalyn Weintraub, and Brandeburg in the Chief Operating Officer role.

Together, the leadership team is focused on four complementary priorities:

• Operational excellence through scalable systems that help every franchisee deliver the PrimoHoagies experience.

• Franchisee profitability through better financial visibility and operating discipline.

• Brand differentiation by highlighting the authenticity of PrimoHoagies' products.

• Scalable operations to enable consistent execution across locations.

Operational Excellence

Sustainable growth depends on operating systems that enable restaurants to execute consistently while preserving the standards that have built customer loyalty for more than three decades.

Brandeburg's career has uniquely prepared him for that challenge.

Brandeburg has held senior leadership roles at Wendy's across both corporate and franchise operations, where he supported some of the company's largest markets before serving as Division Vice President overseeing operations across approximately 800 restaurants. He later led restaurant services initiatives designed to strengthen collaboration between corporate strategy and field execution and subsequently served as president within a multi-brand restaurant organization operating Wendy's, Papa John's, and a regional concept.

Having served both franchisor and franchisee organizations, Brandeburg understands firsthand that operational excellence is not measured by manuals or checklists. It is measured by whether franchisees have the systems, tools, and support needed to consistently build successful businesses.

"Great brands are built by creating systems that help people succeed consistently," said Brandeburg. "What attracted me to PrimoHoagies is that this is a brand that has fiercely protected its commitment to quality while proving there is tremendous opportunity to grow. You don't often find a company with more than three decades of history that still talks about every ingredient, every recipe, and every sandwich with the same passion it had on day one."

Brandeburg's arrival also reunites him with Senior Vice President of Development Angela Coppler, with whom he spent more than fourteen years partnering at Wendy's through one of the company's most significant periods of restaurant modernization and operational transformation.

Working across operations and development, the pair helped support large-scale restaurant reinvestment initiatives designed to strengthen restaurant performance, improve franchisee economics, and position the brand for long-term sustainable growth. That shared experience now provides uncommon alignment as PrimoHoagies builds the next generation of its operating and development platform.

"Glen and Angela have already spent years proving what can happen when operations and development move together instead of independently," said Nicholas Papanier Jr., Owner, President and CEO of PrimoHoagies. "That shared history is incredibly valuable as we continue building PrimoHoagies.

Along with Alex and Madalyn, we've assembled a leadership team where every function supports the next. Development brings us the right locations and the right franchisees. Finance strengthens profitability.

Marketing builds customer demand. Operations ensures we consistently deliver on the promise our brand makes every day."

Operational Strategy

Under Brandeburg's leadership, PrimoHoagies' operational strategy is centered around three priorities.

Capture the best operational practices across the system and build scalable playbooks that help every franchisee consistently deliver the PrimoHoagies experience.

Provide operators with better business intelligence, stronger reporting tools, and practical operating systems that allow them to spend less time managing complexity and more time leading their teams.

Ensure that every operational decision reinforces the quality, consistency, and guest experience that distinguish PrimoHoagies within the sandwich category.

"This isn't about reinventing PrimoHoagies," said Brandeburg. "The foundation is already exceptional. Our responsibility is to continue strengthening the systems behind the business so franchisees can focus on what matters most: serving outstanding food, building great teams, and creating loyal guests."