Potbelly – Love at first bite

From the comforting, melty cheese of a toasted sandwich made with love, to classic photos of Jimi Hendrix shredding a guitar solo at Woodstock, Potbelly is just a fun place to be. A place to take a break from it all. Making people really happy with craveable food, from toasty sandwiches, soups, salads, fresh-baked cookies and hand-scooped milkshakes.

1977 – HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Peter Hastings and his wife decided to start serving sandwiches to their curious, collecting customers at their antique shop in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.

1996 – POTBELLY NATION BEGINS

Love at first bite: One of Potbelly’s regulars, Bryant Keil, buys the shop from owner Peter Hastings. Bryant embarks on creating Potbelly Nation — the culture at the core of all we are. He grew the company from 1 to 250 shops over the next 12 years.

2002 – CHICAGO & BEYOND

Adding a tenth location, Potbelly reaches the double digits and spreads beyond Chicago by opening its first shop in Washington D.C.

2005 – TRIPLE DIGIT SUCCESS

The 100th Potbelly Sandwich Shop opens. Inc. Magazine names Potbelly one of “America’s 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies”

2007 – FIRST DRIVE-THRU LOCATION

The first drive-thru opens and Crain’s Business adds Potbelly to its “50 Fastest Growing Companies” list. Potbelly also adds salads to the menu to bring even more freshness to customers.

2013 – POTBELLY BECOMES A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY

Potbelly presents an initial public offering on October 4, 2013.

AND BEYOND!

We continue to wake up every day with one goal: Make people happy through good vibes and delicious, craveable food. Put those awesome ingredients together, and there’s no telling what we’ll cook up next!

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