Potbelly Sandwich Works
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Key people | Bryant Keil Chairman Aylwin Lewis, President & CEO |
| Industry | Fast casual |
| Products | Sandwiches, Salads, Soups, Ice Cream |
| Website | www.potbelly.com |
Potbelly Sandwich Works is a privately held restaurant chain that sells submarine sandwiches in the United States. Its name is derived from potbelly stoves common in the late 19th century. The company is headquartered in the tower of Chicago's Merchandise Mart.
[edit] History
Potbelly Sandwich Works was founded in 1977 by Peter Hastings. The original store is located at 2264 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, in a retail space that was previously an antique store, Hindsight, also owned by Hastings. Many of the items that decorate the store were taken from the former business. In 1998, Bryant L. Keil purchased the original store and expanded [1] Potbelly to over 200 stores, in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, and Wisconsin.
Potbelly's menu features a variety of sandwiches that are all served hot on regular or multigrain wheat bread. All sandwiches can be ordered "thin-cut" style, in which one third of the bread is cut out. Potbelly began offering salads in February 2007. The menu also includes soup, shakes, malts, and cookies. Most restaurants feature live music from local musicians during their lunch hours. The name of the store derives from Peter Hastings' hobby of restoring old potbelly stoves.
On November 5, 2007, a new Potbelly store in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, became the first to feature a drive-through. A second drive-through store was added shortly thereafter in Waukegan, Illinois.
