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Globe and Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Potbelly Corporation to Participate in Two Upcoming Investor Conferences
CHICAGO, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Potbelly Corporation (NASDAQ: PBPB) ('Potbelly' or the 'Company'), the iconic neighborhood sandwich shop concept, today announced that Bob Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer, Steve Cirulis, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Adam Noyes, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will participate in two upcoming investor conferences. On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the Company will hold one-on-one meetings with investors at the Craig-Hallum 22 nd Annual Institutional Investor Conference in Minneapolis, MN. On Wednesday, June 4, 2025, the Company will be presenting at the William Blair 45th Annual Growth Stock Conference in Chicago, IL. Potbelly's presentation will begin at 4:40 PM Central Time and will be webcast live from the Company's Investor Relations website at under the 'Events and Presentation' section. The Company will also hold one-on-one meetings with investors during the conference. 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
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Potbelly harnessed transformational growth
This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. Five years ago, when Bob Wright became CEO at Potbelly, the sandwich chain was struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. But after following a five-pillar strategy, which includes boosting franchised development and increasing digital brand awareness, Wright says Potbelly is now firmly in the growth category. 'The point is that … it was all pointed toward growth, topline growth, margin expansion, profitability growth and compound growth on growth,' Wright said, adding that much of this has been driven by the chain's pivot to open new units predominantly through franchising. Potbelly posted a company-owned same-store sales increase of 0.9% during Q1 2025, joining brands like Chili's that have used successful turnaround strategies to grow sales and traffic at a time when many restaurants are struggling. Potbelly now has 444 open units and more than 300 commitments following the signing of 40 additional units during the quarter, according to an earnings release. The chain opened four units during the quarter and is on track to add 38 units total by the end of the year, which would represent single-digit percentage growth. New unit growth is likely to accelerate next year as well, as franchisees build out committed units. Several ongoing initiatives that have helped drive both franchisee interest and customer engagement include menu innovation, like the permanent addition of a Prime Rib Steak Sandwich; digital growth through its app and loyalty program, Potbelly Perks; and investments in technology and store remodels. 'Our finish to the first quarter continued to showcase Potbelly as the growth company that we've become,' Wright said during the company's Q1 2025 earnings call. 'We delivered system-wide sales growth, positive same-store sales, growth in our franchising efforts as well as another quarter of strong profitability.' Within the past six months, Potbelly added a Pulled Pork sandwich, Prime Rib Steak sandwich, drinks from Tractor Beverage, a banana pudding shake and chili mac and cheese to its core menu. Potbelly spent nine months developing its steak sandwich in response to customer demand for the menu item. Creating that sandwich required sourcing steak that worked with Potbelly's method of cooking its sandwiches in a 500-degree oven. The sandwich, which includes melted Swiss cheese, carmelized onions and roasted garlic aioli, has already received strong customer reception, Wright said during the company's earnings call. While Potbelly has focused on its core menu over the last six to nine months, the brand continues to offer LTOs to test new flavors that could eventually join the permanent menu, Wright told Restaurant Dive. That happened with its Cubano, which was an LTO for three times before it moved to the core menu last year, Wright said. Potbelly also uses its Underground Menu, which features items only available to order through its Perks Loyalty program, to offer different flavors and innovation. Value remains of importance to the chain, especially in the current environment of consumer price sensitivity. Wright defines value by the following three levels: intrinsic value, everyday value and promotional value. Intrinsic value describes the customers' perception that they are getting what they pay for after visiting a restaurant, while everyday value relates to things like Potbelly's $7.99 combos. Those combos are a way to let customers know that there will be certain things on the menu that they can count on for value, instead of trying to catch a deal at a specific time. For promotional value, the chain uses digital channels, like its loyalty program, to offer deals for its most loyal customers. If Potbelly offers a cookie LTO, it will encourage customers to order via its digital app or website, for example. It also offers straight digital advertising to boost this channel by explaining how digital order pick up is easy to do via its website or app. Digital continues to be a strong area of growth for the chain and made up over 42% of sales last quarter — 200 basis points higher than the year-ago period, Wright said. 'Once we get you in those digital channels, especially when we get into the first loyalty program, then we can use that information to customize our communication with you and make it more valuable,' Wright said. Potbelly is also investing capital to improve three areas of technology infrastructure. Its digital assets, including its app, web and digital marketing tools, are over four years old and are at a point where it is easier to rebuild rather than update, Wright said. The new tech stack will allow the brand to create segmented campaigns to hit specific customers. Potbelly's data infrastructure and data engineering platform is also outdated and is being rebuilt to allow for faster insights and decision-making, he said. Both of these technologies are expected to be rolled out by mid-year. The chain is also rolling out a new point-of-sales system called Potbelly Digital Customer Experience, or PDCX, over the next two years, he said. That system will unlock additional capabilities for digitizing some elements of the shop experience, like letting employees take orders using handheld devices if the line is long. When asked if kiosks might be on the tech menu, Wright said 'never say never to technology,' but Potbelly won't deploy technology just for the sake of adding it. Kiosks work better in a QSR environment because customers can just put in their orders and wait for their food, he said. At Potbelly, diners go through the makeline with an employee to build their sandwiches according to preference. 'If you look at our technology decisions, you'll find that pattern underneath all of them. They are technology for the sake of advancing the customer experience, or the business in some way, or our employee experience,' Wright said. In addition to its technology investments, the fast casual chain is testing a remodel strategy at its company-owned locations. A remodel would follow the rollout of the chain's small prototype, a 1,800-square-foot unit, the first of which opened last year. Wright credits the small prototype, which offers a flexible store design, as one reason why franchisees are interested in the chain. While the prototype is designed for 1,800 square feet, franchisees have built prototypes as small as 1,650 and as large as 2,000 square feet, to fit the size of available real estate. The prototype elements like a new beverage station could be considered for a remodel as well. Remodel testing could lead to a three-tiered redesign initiative across its system, depending on what a restaurant needs. 'You can drive sales with remodels and you can drive very nice returns on that investment,' Wright said. 'We're excited to have that in test and to be testing our way towards a solution that we think could scale into the future.' That could mean a light touch by just refreshing the colors, signage and fixing the wear and tear on a building. Intermediate remodels could also include things like a new beverage station, furniture and equipment, he said, while more expensive options would cover a comprehensive overhaul. 'Even though it's more expensive doesn't mean it's a bad return,' Wright said. 'It could be an even better return if it gives you the kind of [sales] lift that we think we can get.' Recommended Reading What's behind Potbelly's unit growth momentum Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Potbelly's (NASDAQ:PBPB) Q1: Beats On Revenue, Stock Soars
Casual sandwich chain Potbelly (NASDAQ:PBPB) announced better-than-expected revenue in Q1 CY2025, with sales up 2.3% year on year to $113.7 million. Its non-GAAP loss of $0 per share was $0.02 above analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy Potbelly? Find out in our full research report. Potbelly (PBPB) Q1 CY2025 Highlights: Revenue: $113.7 million vs analyst estimates of $111.7 million (2.3% year-on-year growth, 1.7% beat) Adjusted EPS: $0 vs analyst estimates of -$0.02 ($0.02 beat) Adjusted EBITDA: $5.52 million vs analyst estimates of $4.10 million (4.9% margin, 34.6% beat) EBITDA guidance for the full year is $33.5 million at the midpoint, in line with analyst expectations Operating Margin: 0.2%, in line with the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow was $3.64 million, up from -$3.27 million in the same quarter last year Locations: 440 at quarter end, up from 425 in the same quarter last year Same-Store Sales were flat year on year (-0.2% in the same quarter last year) Market Capitalization: $254.7 million Bob Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer of Potbelly Corporation, commented, 'We are pleased with the great start to 2025 and our strong finish to the first quarter which showcased the strength of the Potbelly brand. Not only did we deliver strong system-wide sales growth including positive same-store sales growth that exceeded our expectations, but we also posted another quarter of strong profitability. Moreover, we made significant progress in our franchise development efforts by delivering on our promise to open four new franchise shops during the first quarter, which included new shops from three different franchise groups across two different states.' Company Overview With a unique origin story where the company actually started as an antique shop, Potbelly (NASDAQ:PBPB) today is a chain known for its toasty sandwiches. Sales Growth A company's long-term sales performance is one signal of its overall quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but many enduring ones grow for years. With $465.1 million in revenue over the past 12 months, Potbelly is a small restaurant chain, which sometimes brings disadvantages compared to larger competitors benefiting from better brand awareness and economies of scale. As you can see below, Potbelly's 1.8% annualized revenue growth over the last six years (we compare to 2019 to normalize for COVID-19 impacts) was weak, but to its credit, it opened new restaurants and increased sales at existing, established dining locations. Potbelly Quarterly Revenue This quarter, Potbelly reported modest year-on-year revenue growth of 2.3% but beat Wall Street's estimates by 1.7%.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Potbelly Same-Store Sales Increase in Q4 Amid Expansion
By Daniella Parra Potbelly Corp. (Nasdaq: PBPB) said its average weekly sales increased 1.1% to $25,230 and company-operated same-store sales in the fourth quarter increased 0.3%. Total revenues decreased 7.3% while adjusted EBITDA increased 30.0% to $9.7 million, they said. Potbelly said its digital channels improved year-over-year, representing +40% of total shop sales in Q4, with Potbelly Perks a core part of the brand's success and they had 23 shop openings across 10 states. 'We are pleased with what we have accomplished in 2024 as our team did a tremendous job executing against our five-pillar strategy,' Bob Wright, Potbelly's President and CEO, said. ';From re-igniting unit growth with 23 new shop openings and adding 115 shops to our open and committed shop total, to driving a 15% increase in Adjusted EBITDA and developing strong growth drivers with the enhancement of our perks loyalty program and significant menu innovation work, we believe we have taken yet another step toward achieving Potbelly's long-term growth objectives.' Contact: Editor@
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Potbelly Corporation Announces Conference Call to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results on March 6, 2025
CHICAGO, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Potbelly Corporation (NASDAQ: PBPB) ('Potbelly' or the 'Company'), the iconic neighborhood sandwich shop concept, today announced the date for the release of its fourth quarter and full year 2024 financial results. Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 ResultsPotbelly will report its financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2024 on Thursday, March 6, 2025 after market close. The Company has scheduled a conference call for investors at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the same day to discuss the results. Hosting the call will be Potbelly Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Wright, and Chief Financial Officer, Steve Cirulis. Date: Thursday, March 6, 2025 Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Dial-In #: 833-630-1088 U.S. & Canada 412-317-1817 International The conference call will also be webcast live from the Company's corporate website at under the investors section. For those unable to participate in the live call, an audio replay will be available following the call through Thursday, March 13, 2025. To access the replay, please call 844-512-2921 (U.S. & Canada), or 412-317-6671 (International) and enter confirmation code 10195289. 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 Contact:Investor RelationsJeff PriesterICR332-242-4370investor@ in to access your portfolio
