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.
“RaceTrac has been proudly based in Atlanta for 50 years, and we’re looking forward to offering something special in our hometown,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We will share more details about this exciting project as it progresses."
Once built, the location will be among RaceTrac’s largest convenience stores. Besides the c-store and restaurant, the existing two-story, 31,894-square-foot building that’s currently a Barnes & Noble is also expected to include corporate offices and a meeting space, as well as 69 parking spots, two fuel canopies with 16 gas pumps and 12 EV charging stations in the forecourt.
Still, several questions remain, such as when construction is expected to begin and how the site will be set up as well as a potential opening date.
“RaceTrac will eventually confirm details about this site — perhaps including previous and final sizes of buildings — at an appropriate time they choose,” the company’s spokesperson emphasized in a statement.
