Potbelly Sandwich Works expects to open 50 new locations next year, including its first store in Atlanta, as part of an aggressive growth plan that follows its acquisition by a Southeast convenience store chain.
The Potbelly chain has identified 23 locations for its planned 50 new stores in 2026, including locations in the following markets: Houston, Texas; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Hampton Roads, Virginia, among others.
In the Atlanta market, Potbelly will open a store at 5001 Peachtree Blvd. in Chamblee, Georgia, in the Peachtree Station shopping center.
Potbelly, based in Chicago, services both franchised and company-owned locations. It has said that it wants to expand from its current footprint of about 450 stores to about 2,000 locations nationwide. Potbelly is known for its toasted sub sandwiches, salads, soup and milkshakes.
“This brand has everything today’s franchise owners want, including an exceptional $1.3 million [average unit volume], a business model that’s proven, scalable and built for long-term success and a leadership team that’s vested in each shop’s success,” Jennifer Durham, senior vice president of franchising and development at Potbelly, said in a news release.
RaceTrac acquired Potbelly in October for $566 million, part of a wider trend of convenience store operators expanding foodservice offerings. Rivals like QuikTrip, Sheetz and Wawa are beefing up menus primarily through in-house methods, such as adding larger kitchens inside stores and enlarging food distribution centers to better service locations.
RaceTrac, based in Atlanta, has also moved to expand food sales through in-house channels. In May, it opened a distribution center near New Orleans to serve the Gulf Coast region.
Privately held RaceTrac, which has about 800 stores primarily in the Southeastern and South Central regions under the RaceTrac and RaceWay names, said after its Potbelly acquisition announcement that it doesn’t plan to locate Potbelly shops in all its convenience stores.