Fast Casual Sandwich · FDD 2025 · from public state filings
DDisclosure honesty
This franchisor discloses earnings (Item 19) — but read how.
Investment
$654,019–$1,274,099
Total fees
9% of sales
Outlets
441
Closure signals
2 ceased, 2 terminated
Lawsuits
0
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses average/median weekly and annual gross sales for franchised and affiliate-owned shops. No franchisee-level net income disclosed; expense data only from affiliate-owned units, not franchisee units. Significant cherry-picking risk.
Honesty grade D: the disclosed numbers are incomplete or framed to look better than an owner's real take-home.
Failure & turnover reality (Item 20)
2 franchisee terminations and 2 ceased operations in 2024; no franchisee-to-franchisee transfers ever recorded.
Get the full Potbelly validation report — $149
The franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. We do — reconstructed from their own FDD.
Franchisor's framing: Discloses average/median weekly and annual gross sales for franchised and affiliate-owned shops…
🔒 Real estimated owner take-home (low / median / high) — unlocked in the report
Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI on your investment
Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
Decoded real failure / closure rate
How it ranks vs comparable franchises
Validation-call playbook — who to call + the exact questions
The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $654,019–$1,274,099, including a $40,000 initial franchise fee.
How much do Potbelly franchise owners make?
Discloses average/median weekly and annual gross sales for franchised and affiliate-owned shops. No franchisee-level net income disclosed; expense data only from affiliate-owned units, not franchisee units. Significant cherry-picking risk. We grade this disclosure D for honesty.
What is the Potbelly franchise failure rate?
2 franchisee terminations and 2 ceased operations in 2024; no franchisee-to-franchisee transfers ever recorded.
Is a Potbelly franchise worth it?
It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Potbelly scores D on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a Potbelly? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Source: MN CARDS 34999-202510-04 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Potbelly or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.