Primo Hoagies brings Philly soul to Rehoboth

If there is a way to describe the new Primo Hoagies location in Rehoboth Beach it’s this: Philadelphia by way of the beach.

The inside décor features artwork of the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies and Flyers, but there’s also the specially painted Primo Hoagies surfboard.

Rehoboth Primo Hoagies co-owner Chris Stefani is not just the management, he’s also a client.

“I was a laid-off construction superintendent working in Center City, Philadelphia, for 15 years eating these hoagies. I purchased a franchise. I wanted to work where I lived, I was tired of commuting to the city. I bought the franchise out where I lived, so it was about three miles from my house,” Stefani said.

Stefani, who owns the Rehoboth franchise with his wife, Amy, saw his first franchise in Philadelphia do well enough that he looked to expand. After some research, he decided to start a franchise in Rehoboth.

“It’s spoken for in the Jersey Shore area. I like the beach, so I did a little research, he said. Of all the resorts he considered, Rehoboth seemed to be the most year round. "And here I am,” Stefani said.

He said he also wanted to be upstream from a recently opened Primo location in Ocean City. The Rehoboth location also allows Stefani to commute to his home in Philadelphia in around two hours. Stefani said he will have Primo Hoagies open year-round.

Primo Hoagies focuses on mostly cold-cut style subs. Stefani said the Italian is the most popular item, although individual subs inspire loyalty in each customer.

“I have a guy that comes in my store in Pennsylvania; he’s eaten 50 hoagies. Same 50. Every time he comes in, it’s a Crusher. So he just likes that sandwich,” Stefani said. “I like to think it’s a combination of things. It’s the bread – Primo’s has their own recipe for their bread, which we bake fresh every day, on the hour basically depending how busy we are. Our lunch meats are of the highest quality. They’re above Boar’s Head. And we cut our sandwiches fresh to order. There is nothing worse than a sandwich that’s chilly.”

Primo Hoagies also has some hot sandwiches, including chicken cutlets in a Primo bread-crumb recipe and meatball subs.

“A good meatball has three meats in it: pork, veal and ground beef. And these meatballs are made that way,” Stefani said.

He said in the two weeks since the Rehoboth location opened, the meatball sub sales here have eclipsed what he normally does in Philadelphia.

Stefani said there is also a line of “Diablo” sandwiches, which are cold sandwiches but made spicy.

Customers can order hoagies on 6-inch or 9-inch rolls; then there are the 2-foot sandwiches, which Stefani said are great for tailgating or parties.

Describing the difference between his Pennsylvania location and the new Rehoboth location, Stefani said, “The crowd in Pennsylvania is corporate. I happen to be in a corporate area with a lot of corporate parks. So, a lot of guys in shirt and ties getting out of their cubicles. Here, I have a wide range. I have beachgoers; I have retirees; I’m starting to see the high school crowd. There’s a wide variety of people, which is nice.”

While most of its business is at its central location on Rehoboth Avenue Extended, Primo does do deliveries, mostly within a 3-mile area, generally with a $20 minimum. Stefani said he is trying to do deliveries to the beach, customers can order from their beach chair and have it delivered to the Boardwalk at Rehoboth Avenue.

“We make good hoagies. Great hoagies,” Stefani said.

Primo Hoagies is located at 37169 Rehoboth Ave. Ext. and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 727-5476 or visit primohoagies.com.