Potbelly Sandwich Shop Plans Expansion to San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX - Potbelly Sandwich Shop is expanding its U.S. presence beyond its Chicago roots with a new development agreement in South-Central Texas. 

The agreement, signed with long-time franchisee Dora Braun, aims to open four new restaurants in the region, including San Angelo.

Braun, a successful Potbelly franchisee for over a decade, is making a big reinvestment in the brand to meet the increased demand for the sandwich shop, information stated. This expansion will see new Potbelly locations in Midland-Odessa, San Angelo, and San Antonio.

Lynette McKee, Senior Vice President of Franchising for Potbelly, said that Braun's agreement commits to opening "four over four years." The exact order of the new locations will depend on the availability of real estate.

“I’m sure she’s in the process now of securing a location, but we don’t have anything yet,” McKee said. “Because she has committed for four different markets, from a real estate perspective, it really depends on where the available real estate is first. She might wind up developing in San Antonio first, or it could be San Angelo or the Midland market. We can't say exactly which one will come first because it really depends a lot on where the available real estate is.”

McKee also highlighted Potbelly’s unique position in the fast-casual dining sector. 

“We consider ourselves more of a fast-casual sandwich restaurant,” she said. “We offer a much more diverse menu than what you would find in your typical sandwich shops or deli. In addition to sandwiches, which we provide hot, we also have salads, milkshakes, cookies, great mac and cheese, and soups. We're a pretty well-rounded type of business establishment.”

Currently, there are 430 Potbelly Sandwich Shops open nationwide, with plans to build 220 more over the next few years. The brand, established in 1977, was a one-shop operation for many years until Bryant Keil purchased it in 1997 and expanded it nationally.

"Texas is one of our target markets, we have some room for growth in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Austin, and Waco, there's a lot of room for growth, even though we have quite a few shops in the Texas market," McKee said. "There's a lot of what we call white space. We're excited about that." 

We have a conversation with Braun scheduled in the near future, we will provide more information when it becomes available.