Primo's Sandwich Shop Beat the Odds 25 Years Ago to Become Foxborough Mainstay

Chris Gunn never intended to open a Foxborough sandwich shop, but 25 years later, he’s still going strong.

“It’s a tough business, I knew coming in,” he said.

Gunn said he started 25 years ago at Primo's current location and he’s never looked back. He said originally, when he got out of college, he was working for an aviation company when a friend came to him with a business idea.

“He was the entrepreneur type,” Gunn said of his friend.

Gunn said he knew the risks of opening a small business and recalled that at the time, about 50 percent of restaurants closed within the first year. If the restaurant was fortunate enough to survive the first year, it was 75 percent more likely to close in the second.

“I was very fortunate to have good people around,” he said. “The kids here are great.”

Gunn said there were two things that helped him to be successful in the business:

• Being heavily involved in the business
• Adapting to lcoal business trends

“You have to be there, it’s very hands on,” he said.

He added that you have to be aware of trends in the business, both from other small businesses and large chains.

“Years ago you had McDonalds, you got burgers fries and shakes and that was it,” he said. “Now it’s become such an industry of specialization. Everybody wants their order done a certain way. Very few people just order something standard. You learn to adapt to basically give people exactly what they want.”

Gunn said that he’s always learned from other businesses as well. He said if he eats something he likes, he’ll try it out at his shop. He said he’s most proud of the way he does his roast beef. He said he cooks, cuts and serves his roast beef and steak at the shop. 

“I’ve always felt that if you keep everything as fresh as you can the customers notice it and they keep coming back,” he said. “I have a lot of loyal customers.”

Gunn says while it can be tempting to cut corners in the restaurant industry to save a buck, he has remained true to his customers.

“I never want to feel like we’re deceiving the customer,” he said. “My integrity is very important to me."

Customers appreciate Gunn's integrity in the business as well and have been supporting the Foxborough eatery for 25 years.

And if you're looking for a sandwich to try at Primo's, Gunn said he received the greatest compliment for his steak and cheese subs from a friend of his in Philadelphia concerning.

“[Gunn's friend] said [the steak and cheese sandwich] is almost as good as ours,” Gunn said. “ I knew he wasn’t going to say it was better.”

Primo's, located at 6 Mechanic St., serves subs, sandwiches, salads and dinner plates. The sandwich shop is open Monday thru Thrusday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.