Newk's vs Potbelly Sandwich Shop Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Newk's vs Potbelly Sandwich Shop including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Newk's Franchise
Potbelly Sandwich Shop Franchise
Investment $971,100 - $1,207,350$534,950 - $874,000
Franchise Fee $40,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 5%6%
Advertising Fee 1.5%Up to 4%
Year Founded 20041977
Year Franchised 20042009
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee none-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Newk's Franchise
Potbelly Sandwich Shop Franchise
Experience Newk's is looking for experienced franchise owners with a track record of success opening and running multiple unit foodservice operations. Qualified candidates will have a minimum of 3 years experience, and be financially and operationally capable of developing at least 3 -5 Newk's Express Cafe locations (we recommend that each franchise candidate/group have at least $600,000 in liquid assets, meaning cash, stocks, bonds or other easily liquid assets).Potbelly is looking for "Potbelly People" to become franchisees. That means people that love working with a team, have solid business experience (not necessarily in restaurants), the financial qualifications, possess personal motivation and have been successful. Our franchise owner/operator model is a two person team. Whether a family partnership or a business partnership we are looking for an operating team that wants to be owners of the neighborhood sandwich shop within their community.

Financing Options

 
Newk's Franchise
Potbelly Sandwich Shop Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/Yes-/Yes
Start-up Costs -/Yes-/Yes
Equipment -/Yes-/Yes
Inventory -/Yes-/Yes
Receivables -/Yes-/Yes
Payroll -/Yes-/Yes

Training & Support

 
Newk's Franchise
Potbelly Sandwich Shop Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 276 hours Classroom Training: 74 hours

All new franchisees participate in a 10-12 week training program. This consists of real life experience in one of our company-owned training shops. In addition, we will train your key holding employees for 6 weeks at one of our company-owned training shops. Once completed, franchisees receive regular updates to their training along with our company-owned stores, including regular on site reviews. On-The-Job Training: 355 hours Classroom Training: 80 hours

Support Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Email marketing Loyalty program/app Ad Templates Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations Number of Employees Required to Run: 50 -

Expansion Plans

 
Newk's Franchise
Potbelly Sandwich Shop Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion -Yes

Company Overviews

About Newk's

Experienced restaurateurs know that the only constant in our industry is change. Newk's has a flexible menu designed for timeless appeal with three primary components - sandwiches, salads and pizzas. These were chosen to provide maximum adaptability to changing costs, tastes and regional preferences.
Newk's is also a flexible concept adaptable to many venues.
* Pad or commercial sites
* Strip and lifestyle centers
* Urban/downtown locations
* Conversions of existing restaurants
* Enclosed mall/food court locations
* University or office locations
* Airport, train station or other non-traditional locations

The Newk's Express Cafe franchise program is designed for growth; it's designed to provide you and your organization with the guidance, the training and the tools to implement our innovative concept, and to refine and grow for many years to come. The Newk's Express Cafe strategy is to provide each customer with many ways to enjoy Newk's, and help franchise owners maximize the benefit of each customer relationship.

The Newk's Concept offers:
* Dine-in
* Takeout
* On-site catering
* Retail sales
* Corporate sales programs

Get Growing - with Newk's Express Cafe
If you are looking for a solid business opportunity designed for growth, consider the advantages of the Newk's Express Cafe franchise opportunity:
* A concept validated by industry trends
* Limited menu with unlimited appeal
* A streamlined, efficient operational system
* Flexible menu, adaptable to change in trends and tastes
* Flexible store design/location options
* Long-term, multi-unit franchise focus
* An experienced, respected management team
* Strong training and marketing programs

* The ongoing support of a dedicated franchise company

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Newk's Restaurant franchise is $971,100 to $1,207,350. This includes a $40,000 initial franchise fee that must be paid to the franchisor. The franchisor may offer to enter into an area development agreement to establish and operate a certain number of Newk's Restaurants at specific locations pursuant to individual franchise agreements. The area development fee, which will vary depending upon the number of franchised restaurants to be developed, will be equal to the total of $40,000 for the first Newk's Restaurant plus $20,000 for each additional Newk's Restaurant to be developed. The area development fee will be applied to the initial franchise fees for each applicable Newk's Restaurant.






About Potbelly Sandwich Shop

From its humble beginnings as a small antique store on Chicago's North Side, Potbelly has grown from one to more than 200 shops serving neighborhoods in 12 states. Potbelly's unique experience is defined by its combination of toasty warm sandwiches, hand-dipped shakes, tasty made-to-order salads, live local music, as well as friendly and lively people. Potbelly has built a passionate, loyal following of fans that spread the word about the fun, energetic atmosphere and great food.

#131 in Franchise 500 for 2020.