Potbelly Sandwich Works Expands in St. Louis with New 7 Shop Commitment from Potbelly’s 2024 Franchisee of the Year.
Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB) announced a significant expansion in St. Louis, Missouri through a new Shop Development Agreement with franchisee Todd Stimson. The agreement includes the development of seven new shop locations in the St. Louis region, adding to Stimson's existing three locations in the area.
Stimson, who was named Franchisee of the Year at Potbelly's 2023 System Summit and Operator of the Year in 2024, will strengthen the brand's presence in the market. This expansion aligns with Potbelly's strategic growth plan to partner with proven multi-unit operators for nationwide franchising. The new locations are expected to create multiple job opportunities in the St. Louis area, with specific locations and opening dates to be announced in the coming months.
Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB) ha annunciato una significativa espansione a St. Louis, Missouri, attraverso un nuovo Accordo di Sviluppo di Negozio con il franchisee Todd Stimson. L'accordo prevede lo sviluppo di sette nuove sedi nella regione di St. Louis, aggiungendosi alle tre sedi già esistenti di Stimson nella zona.
Stimson, che è stato nominato Franchisee dell'Anno al Potbelly's 2023 System Summit e Operatore dell'Anno nel 2024, contribuirà a rafforzare la presenza del marchio nel mercato. Questa espansione è in linea con il piano strategico di crescita di Potbelly, volto a collaborare con operatori multi-unità affermati per il franchising a livello nazionale. Si prevede che le nuove sedi creeranno numerose opportunità di lavoro nella zona di St. Louis, con specifiche sedi e date di apertura che saranno annunciate nei prossimi mesi.
Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB) anunció una expansión significativa en St. Louis, Missouri, a través de un nuevo Acuerdo de Desarrollo de Tiendas con el franquiciado Todd Stimson. El acuerdo incluye el desarrollo de siete nuevas ubicaciones en la región de St. Louis, sumándose a las tres ubicaciones existentes de Stimson en el área.
Stimson, quien fue nombrado Franquiciado del Año en la Cumbre del Sistema 2023 de Potbelly y Operador del Año en 2024, fortalecerá la presencia de la marca en el mercado. Esta expansión se alinea con el plan estratégico de crecimiento de Potbelly para asociarse con operadores multiunidad comprobados para el franquiciado a nivel nacional. Se espera que las nuevas ubicaciones creen múltiples oportunidades de empleo en el área de St. Louis, con ubicaciones específicas y fechas de apertura que se anunciarán en los próximos meses.
Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB)는 미주리주 세인트루이스에서 프랜차이즈인 Todd Stimson과의 새로운 매장 개발 계약을 통해 중요한 확장을 발표했습니다. 이 계약에는 세인트루이스 지역에 새로운 매장 7곳을 개발하는 내용이 포함되어 있으며, 이는 Stimson의 기존 3개 매장에 추가되는 것입니다.
Stimson은 Potbelly의 2023 시스템 정상 회담에서 올해의 프랜차이즈로 선정되었으며, 2024년에는 올해의 운영자로 선정되었습니다. 그는 시장에서 브랜드의 존재감을 강화할 것입니다. 이번 확장은 Potbelly의 전략적 성장 계획과 일치하며, 전국적으로 검증된 다수 운영자와 협력하여 프랜차이즈를 진행할 예정입니다. 새로운 매장은 세인트루이스 지역에서 여러 일자리 기회를 창출할 것으로 예상되며, 구체적인 위치와 개장 날짜는 향후 몇 달 내에 발표될 예정입니다.
Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB) a annoncé une expansion significative à St. Louis, Missouri, par le biais d'un nouvel Accord de Développement de Magasin avec le franchisé Todd Stimson. L'accord comprend le développement de sept nouveaux emplacements dans la région de St. Louis, s'ajoutant aux trois emplacements existants de Stimson dans la zone.
Stimson, qui a été nommé Franchisé de l'Année lors du Sommet Système 2023 de Potbelly et Opérateur de l'Année en 2024, renforcera la présence de la marque sur le marché. Cette expansion s'inscrit dans le plan stratégique de croissance de Potbelly visant à s'associer à des opérateurs multi-unités éprouvés pour le franchisage à l'échelle nationale. Les nouveaux emplacements devraient créer plusieurs opportunités d'emploi dans la région de St. Louis, avec des emplacements spécifiques et des dates d'ouverture à annoncer dans les mois à venir.
Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB) hat eine bedeutende Expansion in St. Louis, Missouri, durch eine neue Shop-Entwicklungsvereinbarung mit dem Franchisenehmer Todd Stimson angekündigt. Die Vereinbarung umfasst die Entwicklung von sieben neuen Standorten in der Region St. Louis, die zu Stimsons bestehenden drei Standorten in der Gegend hinzugefügt werden.
Stimson, der bei Potbellys 2023 System Summit zum Franchisenehmer des Jahres und 2024 zum Betriebsleiter des Jahres ernannt wurde, wird die Präsenz der Marke auf dem Markt stärken. Diese Expansion steht im Einklang mit Potbellys strategischem Wachstumsplan, mit bewährten Multi-Unit-Betreibern für das nationale Franchising zusammenzuarbeiten. Es wird erwartet, dass die neuen Standorte zahlreiche Arbeitsplätze in der Region St. Louis schaffen, wobei spezifische Standorte und Eröffnungsdaten in den kommenden Monaten bekannt gegeben werden.
- Expansion of 7 new locations in St. Louis market
- Agreement with proven successful franchisee
- Strategic growth through multi-unit operators
- Creation of new job opportunities
- None.
Insights
Potbelly's seven-shop expansion commitment in St. Louis represents meaningful growth for the company, particularly given its $357 million market cap. With approximately 450 total system locations, this single agreement represents a
The expansion through franchising rather than corporate development aligns with Potbelly's strategic shift toward an asset-light model, which typically generates higher returns on invested capital and more stable cash flows through royalty revenue. Based on industry standards, each new shop likely represents
Particularly noteworthy is that this growth comes through an award-winning existing franchisee rather than a new operator. This signals strong unit economics and healthy same-store performance in the St. Louis market, as successful operators rarely expand aggressively in territories with marginal returns. This internal expansion model typically carries lower execution risk than recruiting new franchisees.
This announcement demonstrates tangible progress on Potbelly's franchise development strategy at a time when many restaurant chains are facing headwinds from elevated food and labor costs. The company's ability to secure multi-unit commitments suggests its value proposition remains compelling despite industry-wide margin pressures. For investors, this expansion provides evidence that Potbelly's growth strategy is gaining traction in a challenging operating environment for quick-service restaurants.
Potbelly's seven-shop expansion in St. Louis through an award-winning franchisee represents a strategic clustering approach that maximizes operational efficiencies while minimizing execution risk. By tripling his footprint from three to ten shops, franchisee Todd Stimson will achieve significant economies of scale in local marketing, management oversight, and supply chain logistics that aren't possible with isolated locations.
This expansion is particularly notable in the competitive sandwich segment, where Potbelly faces established players like Jimmy John's, Jersey Mike's, and Subway in the St. Louis market. The willingness of a successful operator to make this substantial commitment suggests Potbelly has found a defensible competitive position, likely through its differentiated offering of hot sandwiches, cookies, and shakes that create higher average tickets than many competitors.
From an operational perspective, this development approach is significantly more efficient than entering new markets. The incremental cost of adding locations in an existing territory is typically
The seven-shop agreement also provides Potbelly with predictable growth in a core market. Based on typical development timelines, this likely represents 2-3 years of secured expansion, creating a reliable pipeline that helps the company maintain consistent unit growth metrics that investors monitor closely.
This clustering strategy has proven successful for regional-focused chains like Culver's and Portillo's, which build deep market penetration before expanding geographically. For Potbelly, concentrating growth with proven operators in established markets represents a lower-risk path to scale than aggressive expansion into untested territories with unproven franchisees.
CHICAGO, Feb. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Potbelly Corporation (NASDAQ: PBPB), the iconic neighborhood sandwich shop, is excited to announce a significant expansion in St. Louis, Missouri, with the signing of a new Shop Development Agreement (SDA). Longtime franchisee Todd Stimson, who currently owns and operates three Potbelly locations in the area, has committed to opening an additional seven shops in the St. Louis region, further strengthening the brand's presence and growth in the market.
The development of these seven new locations underscores Potbelly’s ongoing strategic growth plan to partner with proven multi-unit operators in expanding its presence across key markets through franchising nationwide. The company remains eager to partner with passionate multi-unit operators to expand its footprint in the remaining untapped territories of Missouri.
Todd Stimson, who has been a dedicated member of the Potbelly franchise family for many years, was honored as Franchisee of the Year at Potbelly’s 2023 System Summit and Operator of the year in 2024. His exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to delivering outstanding customer experiences have made him a standout franchisee and an integral part of Potbelly’s success.
The addition of these new shops in St. Louis is expected to contribute to the local economy by creating numerous job opportunities. Specific locations and grand opening details will be announced in the coming months, generating excitement among St. Louis residents and visitors alike.
For more information about Potbelly Sandwich Works’ available franchise opportunities, please contact:
Todd L. Owen
Sales Director, Potbelly Sandwich Works
Phone: (872) 250-6956
Email: Todd.Owen@Potbelly.com
Website: https://franchising.potbelly.com
About Potbelly
Potbelly Corporation is a neighborhood sandwich concept that has been feeding customers’ smiles with warm, toasty sandwiches, signature salads, hand-dipped shakes and other fresh menu items, customized just the way customers want them, for more than 40 years. Potbelly promises Fresh, Fast & Friendly service in an environment that reflects the local neighborhood. Since opening its first shop in Chicago in 1977, Potbelly has expanded to neighborhoods across the country - with more than 440 shops in the United States including more than 90 franchised shops in the United States. For more information, please visit our website at www.potbelly.com
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