Potbelly Corp. has signed a 22-unit deal with Sound Sandwich LLC to expand in the greater Seattle-Tacoma region of Washington state. The agreement includes the transfer of ownership of nine existing restaurants, and the franchisee will develop 13 units in King, Pierce and Thurston counties over the next eight years.

"We're thrilled to put the Potbelly experience within the reach of more people in the Seattle-Tacoma region," Bob Wright, president and CEO of Potbelly, said in a company press release. "This is a market that performs well but is significantly underpenetrated right now. We see tremendous whitespace for our brand and look forward to supporting our franchisee as they open the doors to new shops in the years ahead."

As part of Potbelly's ongoing Franchise Growth Acceleration Initiative, the company has a long-term goal of reaching 2,000 shops, with at least 85% of those locations being franchised. The chain has over 425 locations.

Earlier this month, the chain signed a 40-unit deal for Ohio and Florida.

Copyright © 2023 Networld Media. All rights reserved., source Industry News