---
title: "Nation's Restaurant News: Potbelly CEO says struggling brand ‘explored’ a sale"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/eb2326a6-d1fd-4b24-ae64-d39e49551b5a
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-potbelly-ceo-says-struggling-brand-explored-a-sale-2706501
category: "Sandwich & sub"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Sandwich & sub"
topics: ["Finance & M&A","People"]
published: 2018-05-09T22:17:26.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:38:17.852Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/5eaa2afe92e2e9f4c51bc9d8109c5d951542.jpg
---

# Nation's Restaurant News: Potbelly CEO says struggling brand ‘explored’ a sale

**TL;DR:** Potbelly considered a sale of the company but decided against it after a review of its operations. The brand will instead work towards a company turnaround with a menu refresh, strategic marketing, and an emphasis on off-premise dining.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-05-09. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-potbelly-ceo-says-struggling-brand-explored-a-sale-2706501).*

## Story

Potbelly has revealed that it recently considered a sale of the company. According to a recent article in Nation's Restaurant News , the brand scrapped this idea after a recent review of its operations that began back in December.

“After a thorough and wide-ranging sales process, ultimately this effort did not result in a transaction that the Potbelly board determined to be viable or in the best interest of the company and our shareholders,” said CEO Alan Johnson.

The brand will instead work towards a company turnaround. Key components of this revitalization effort will include a menu refresh, strategic marketing and an emphasis on off-premise dining. In addition to these initiatives, Potbelly has also brought a Michelin star chef onboard as vice president of culinary innovation.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Nation's Restaurant News (publication)
- Potbelly (company)
- turnaround strategy (topic)
- menu refresh (topic)
- company sale (topic)
- strategic marketing (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-potbelly-ceo-says-struggling-brand-explored-a-sale-2706501). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/eb2326a6-d1fd-4b24-ae64-d39e49551b5a).