Dive Brief:
- RaceTrac will open a Potbelly Sandwich Shop at an upcoming large-format convenience store in Atlanta, a spokesperson from the retailer confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- The spokesperson declined to share additional information about the Cobb Parkway site, which RaceTrac applied for in late 2023 and officially purchased for $12.5 million in December 2024. At the time of the application process, RaceTrac told the Cobb County Board of Commissioners the location would be a testing ground to “try out new services,” as well as meet with vendors and train employees.
- This appears to be RaceTrac’s first confirmed location with a planned Potbelly on site. The convenience retailer acquired the QSR chain for $566 million last year.
Dive Insight:
RaceTrac’s purchase of Potbelly was the most surprising and potentially industry-shifting acquisition in convenience retail last year not just because of its scale, but because of its implications. Instead of building an in-house food offering from the ground up, RaceTrac went out and bought a well established QSR chain — a move that offers several potential risks, but tremendous upside, experts have said.
For months following the deal, both the c-store and restaurant industries wondered if RaceTrac would bring some of Potbelly’s popular sandwiches, salads and milkshakes to its convenience stores. Last December, Potbelly Senior Vice President Of Franchising And Development Jennifer Durham told C-Store Dive sister publication Restaurant Dive that co-located sites could be part of future plans if the opportunity presented itself.
That question is finally being answered with the upcoming c-store in Atlanta, according to RaceTrac’s spokesperson…