team member

shift leader

general manager

assistant manager

night team member

Potbelly Sandwich Shop

I began this job as an associate and worked my way up to shift leader. 
As an Associate: (I have worked at almost every store in MN, and each store is different, but this is the basic layout)
a typical day would coming in for 3-5 hours and mostly working with customers. If it was a day/lunch shift (11-3p) You would definitely be helping customers, either stationed at Load (where you initially take the order and send the sandwich through the oven), Dress (collecting the sent sandwich from the oven and putting topping on it and then giving to customer WHILE engaging them in conversation), Cash (ringing up customers while keeping up on making Shakes) or the Fronter (wiping off tables as they are made available, checking to make sure bathrooms are clean, washing a few dishes while helping the Casher with shakes if needed). The staff would consist of one person per station, plus a manager or two, so somewhere from 5-7 people. 
dinner shifts (5-9.30, or whenever the store closes) are completely different though. There are only three people working - the Front Closer (who takes care of helping customers, while wiping out all the stations listed above as well as making sure everything behind the counter is stocked and cleaned), the Back Closer (who washes all of the days dishes, and is responsible for making sure the dining room, back of house and bathroom is stocked and cleaned) and the manager. The manager is technically only responsible for the tasks listed below (end of day paperwork and making sure everything is completed by the closers), so it can really vary on how much the closing manager will help the other two closers. I, personally, tried to help the Front closer as much as possible with customers. Customers are the worst part of closing, so, by helping to alleviate the stress of dealing with them, it make a huge difference. 
aside from the tasks of the day, you don't get breaks, unless you work a 6hr or more shift. Most associates aren't given more than 25hrs per week, usually for high school/college students get less (if the manager doesn't like you, you could get just one shift a week, ouch.) Unless if you're full-time (32+hrs/week) you aren'y eligible for benefits. That's about it. Show up, do a good job, go home. 

As a Shift Leader (SL):
a typical day as a SL would be either open shift (7-4/5p), which is opening the store with the prepper. You need to make the prep list by taking inventory of all the product on hand so the prepper can make the rest needed for the day. The rest of the morning before opening means simply opening the store, or undoing everything the closing staff did. Some days you'll have to put the truck away. The food truck will drop off all your food in your cooler and back of house. It's your job to put everything way. Hopefully you're fast, because it needs to be done before 8a! Most stores open at 11a, which is when your staff (Loader, Dressers, Casher, Fronter) would show up; as well as your closing manager by 11.30a. The lunch rush would come between 11.30-2p. You have very little afternoon paperwork. Those SLs who are on the computer all afternoon, are probably just playing solitaire or just on their phones. It'll be just you and the closing SL until 4 or 5p when the first closing associate will come in to relieve you.
as a closing shift (starting when the closing manager leaves), you'll have the whole run of the shop. But, you only have 2 other workers. you need to run through dinner shift. Rushes usually are done by 7.30p. You, however, can't actually start your paperwork until almost 8.30p. This paperwork is simply just the daily reports (like inventory, cash deposit, sales, labour percentages), but all of those numbers can't be collected until business has ended. Most stores close at 9p or even 10p, but you're expected to be out within 30-45mins. Which means, as the managers, you have a ton to do. You have to gather all the numbers from several different places, as well as counting both cash drawers and make sure the numbers all match. It something in there get messed up, then you may be there a lot longer than 9.45p. 
It can definitely be a tough job sometimes, especially if you're a good SL. When I say "good,"  I mean, diligent and hard working; one who actually cares about his job and wants to see growth in the company/work place. That would be what I wanted. (In general, I want to be seen in favour of by my superiors and to do the best, honest job I can; even at pbells.) I've seen many others who have a similar work ethic than I, and it's just as hard for them some days. 
On the flip-side though, you will meet manager that don't do half the work you do. As I said before, I've worked at many different locations and worked with many different people. More than a handful of those manager didn't do squat. I have worked with several associates who say they like me better because [insert name] just sits in the back all night. The sad part is that, generally, those SL would make more than me (usually $1+/hour). 

Another part of this job that can be really rough is the accountability of the higher-ups. I'm simply sharing my experience and not trying to vent, but I was relocated to a different store that was 21 miles away (about 35min drive in good traffic). My issue was, obviously, gas. My car got about 26mpg, so generally I'd spend 1.62 gallons ($5.61) simply to drive to work for a shift. Aka, $112.10 per month, JUST to drive to work (that's more than my iPhone AT&T bill). Originally I was at a store I could walk to, 2 miles from my house. So the district manager (my boss' boss) promised me a $0.50 raise. I never got that raise. I emailed her 3 times, and called her about it....nothing. Now, since we're in math class apparently, if you take that and figure out how much money I wasn't given in compensation for my driving, it would work out to be $775.68. This is based on a 35hr work week, but I was usually on the overtime list. I started at this new location in early august 2012 and ended end august 2013. A WHOLE YEAR, and I still didn't get the raise. 
I'm not looking for pity or any resolution from this, but I have witnessed so many similar incidences, where promises were made, and there was no follow-up or follow-through. The ironic part is that the company constantly talks about how we need to work on it and that we're know for how good we are at it...except potbelly SUCKS at it. And, to bring this essay-long review to a close, I think that's what I didn't like so much from this job, was the company. I mean, who actually likes the cooperation side of the job they work for, but the micro-management REALLY got to me. People will say "we want to empower our people", but there's no empowerment when you baby us and nit-pick at everything we do! 

If you accept a position here, it can be a fun job [sometimes], but be mindful that you will be micro-managed, and there will be a lot of fakery every where.

When I started with this company, it was a FANTASTIC place to work! Management was great across the board, and they really looked after their employees the way you would with family. All was well...until the greedy corporate cancer invaded, the way it generally always does. It took a job where coworkers felt like family and turned it into a hateful, stress-ridden mess. The quality of new hires declined SHARPLY, and with that decline came the end of a civilized workplace. Theft skyrocketed, shrink abounded, and managers who cared even one whit were banished to the lower levels of rhymes-with-smell to be abused and castigated by their "superiors" regarding factors that there is no way to control. (Such as slow sales days, which became more and more frequent as the cancer changed everything that made Potbelly a pleasant dining experience.) New terminology was force-fed to employees, with cult-like phrases and Naziesque devotion to their new so-called ideals. The menu, which was really quite perfect exactly as it was, got tossed into utter chaos. A million choices replaced the sublime simplicity, requiring employees to question the customers TO DEATH at every single turn. And god forbid these million questions impact your speed of service! Not to mention that it created unnecessary tension when the customers would become surly or downright ugly about the forced interaction that was required to place an order for what is after all A SANDWICH/SALAD. New sandwiches and salad dressings appeared and disappeared with the regularity by which some change their underwear, resulting in even more grief for the hapless employees who didn't get to make that decision. But hey, the bigwigs are seeing dollar signs...so who gives a flying f/a/r/t in space about the employees, right?? Food quality declined as cheaper ingredients were approved in place of the previously excellent choices available. Ridiculously high turnover became commonplace, as associates and management alike jumped ship as fast as they could. Those who actually stayed in hopes of promotions were dumped on in favor of yuppie outsiders who don't know their rhymes-with-bass from a hole in the ground. The chances of a manager backing you up if you upset a customer by actually following their rules were virtually nil. And benefits? HA. Don't make me laugh. I was promised at my date of hire that I only had to make it to the one-year mark to be eligible for benefits. What they neglected to mention is that in order to ACTUALLY qualify, you have to work 30 hours per week or more. And no associate is given 30 hours, EVER. You have to be in management to merit that kind of labor being on the schedule, so you just get diddled in a very dark place for as long as you work there. And since every manager worth their salt was defecting to greener pastures as fast as they could go, the company began selecting recruits for the vacated positions from literally the bottom of the barrel. People who couldn't drive their way out of a wet paper bag were suddenly in charge of operations they never gave a rhymes-with-nap about to begin with. What was already a rhymes-with-relish work environment became 100% unbearable. And when I was offered a rung onto a ladder out of the pit of despair, I grabbed on with all my might. Never mind that it was a temporary position. I simply couldn't tolerate the madness any longer.

A typical day at Potbelly for a Manager would be to set up the shop and prepare your shop for the day.  It is normal to go over shop schedules along with other morning paperwork and reports.  Most of the work leads up to your big lunch rush. Your job is to be sure there are no speed-bumps along the way and that your staff and shop have what they need to have a great lunch and that all customers are taken care of and treated for.  

I learned about sales, profit, customer service, time management and people management.  During down times and transitions from lunch to dinner more projects are usually due plus weekly and monthly projects/reports are also due.  

Co-workers depends heavily on your shop.  Typically a very young crowd filled with high-school and college students/drop-outs.  A lot of great personalities over all but dealing with turnover is always a plague for restaurants.  This also means less of a bonus and more stress for your team.  Most shops have a "core" group of "lifers" with a rotating supporting staff.

I would say the hardest part of the job are the changing expectations.  Company wide as Potbelly has recently become a publicly traded company there are a lot of new marching orders. Each shop seems to have their own interpretations of these new orders and their own way of doing things to be sure they are meeting their bottom lines. Their are a lot of inconsistencies and communication problems from Corporate to shop locations and even from shop to shop.  Especially a lot of change when changing districts or a new Market. Potbelly always keeps managers and shift-leads rotating and moving from store to store.  Feeling comfortable is not something that is easily obtained or even encouraged.  

The enjoyable part of the job is the actually busyness of the store during peak times.  It is a great way to meet a lot of people and hone your people skills.  

I greatly appreciated and loved working at Potbelly during my college years, but I am very disappointed in myself for trying to turn this into a career after receiving my bachelors.  

My personal recommendation,  unless you work for Potbelly corporate in Chicago, do not become anything higher than a shift-lead with this company.

I have worked at the Lake O location for over a year. I have been consistent in my attendance, and can count on one hand the times called out from work. Yet, throughout the year, I feel as if I have been targeted and blamed for things I have not done, in an effort to get me to quit (maybe? I really do not know) my position, or the store entirely.
I have been through a couple of GMs so far. I have worked in the store without a manager, unpaid at times, and yet I am still not getting the increase in hourly wage I feel I deserve.
It states in the company's policies that after working with Potbelly a year, you will have an evaluation and raise period. I have had no such evaluation, I got denied in my request to bump up my wage after minimum wage was raised, even though the positions at Potbelly are UNTIPPED. You are told that you're getting a bit of a higher wage to offset that. But what if the minimum wage and everything around it (cost of living) gets bumped up, as did in the case of me? 
My experience is that you will get no tips, no compensation for minimum wage/cost of living increase, AND, you will watch your hours start to consistently get cut back. Especially if you're vocal about your treatment, and it involves any cursing to come out of your mouth- even in back of house, my friends...
I'm hoping right now that Potbelly will do the right thing, but I seriously doubt it. They have shown that they abuse their employees, every single manager that we have EVER had (in my time here) has been worked to the point of utter exhaustion, until they cannot fight off sickness any longer, yet they are still required to come in to work, and work back to back 12-14 hour shifts, a lot of the time alone, because we can NEVER find any coverage for this shop.
The food is sub-par, because it is from an inconsistent provider (FSA), andthe working conditions leave so much to be desired. I would not recommend this sandwich shop to my worst enemy either as a place to work, OR even dine in.
If you like to be abused by Corporate Monkeys in suits with no concern for their employees, and ONLY their bonuses and Bottom Lines- by all means, go get hired on! Enjoy! Because that is what kind of Working Culture you will TRULY find at Potbelly.

Where do I begin? As a manager expect to have no work/life balance. Be prepared to be extremely hands-on, scrub floors, wash dishes by hand, do hours of morning food prep, make sandwiches for a good 7 hours of your shift, and find some way to squeeze all your managerial duties in as well. Don't expect to work less than 55 hours a week and be prepared to come in on your Sundays off to do several hours of inventory and any other day or shift that you're off if somebody doesn't show up for work--which is pretty frequently. Potbelly's values are amazing, but unfortunately only about 5% of the team upholds these values. I can't say I blame them entirely as the associates are over-worked and underpaid. We went through team members so fast that my head was spinning. Unsuspecting hopeful new-hires arrive and accept their starting pay rate not realizing how grueling the work truly is and soon enough lose all interest and drive.  Many end up not returning after a month or so, and those that do stay just stop caring. Management tries so hard to hold onto any and all the associates that do stay that team members can do whatever they want and not get fired--not even for theft or "no call, no shows".  Most team members and shift leaders care so little and/or are so burned out that they don't uphold the values nor customers' expectations that customer complaints are frequent--which leaves managers scrambling to do damage control. I suppose if you are willing to spend 2-3 years as an assistant manager doing grunt work to move up to a GM spot, then it's an okay job. Hey, if you're one of the lucky and very few you may even  be promoted to District Manager after another 5-10 years thereafter, but they have no work/life balance either.  I wouldn't personally recommend this job to anybody who is in their 30's. If you're in your 20's and can get in early and work up from an AM to GM within a few years, then I say "Go for it" as you'll be young enough to hold up physically and be able to relate to your crew.  If you're someone that has a family and enjoy your time with them, then this is not the job for you.

I took the job with the understanding that I would be working at a location 30 minutes from my home, however 2 weeks before my training ended I was notified that the location was closing and the ONLY available shop was one over an hour from my home. One of the primary reasons I took the job with Potbelly was the promise of great quality of life. My morning drives in would range anywhere from 1 hr to 1hr 30 mins. As well as my drive home due to traffic. My training provided me with little to nothing. They would sit me at a laptop and not review anything with me. I was basically used as a regular employee to help control labor. I brought how I felt to the attention of the training manager and all she would say was “you’re doing fine, you’ll be fine in your shop”. Once in position after training the Shop I was in had employees who were basically hired just to meet a numeric standard. Nobody was trained properly or ever taught to actually do work. By this time the DM that had hired me had moved on to another company and that very person that trained me took over his position. I would constantly reach out for assistance but none was given. We were in a location in a developmental area all the way in the back which meant nobody knew we were there. I would constantly be told to “figure it out” by my superior. At times my DM would visit my shop and not even speak. The environment was terrible. She had no sense of empathy or ability to communicate with people. My employees would  even point it out from time to time. Just flat out rude and ignorant! Everything was always so angry and aggressive. Prior to my departure my father had a heart attack and I needed time off to get him settled and my request was ignored. I would never recommend working for this company. My worst job and employment ever hands down. I was happy to leave and my quality of life has since improved drastically. Do not waste your time working for this company, they do not plan or have anyone in place that knows how to grow a business. I’d rather wrestle snakes than go back to working there!

A typical day at work:
Either half the team calls off, or half the team was new

believe I learned:
why management and a good hiring/training program is critical to an otherwise successful business. Training programs exist for potbelly, but this leadership in Springfield will expect you to watch and finish videos off the clock on your own time
When the videos say "now its time to learn this with your trainer" you'll be at home, with no trainer in site, an obvious flaw considering the training is supposed to happen in store with certified trainers.

Management: everyday during peak they hide in the back office "doing paperwork" which must be code for "dishes and sweeping", basically hides for the entire rush unless so many people called off (probably due to this very reason) that they have no choice but to help.
They have on many occasions used the lack of staffing and constant revolving door of team members as an excuse not to be on the floor helping a new business take off, citing that they need to hire more people...
but "more people" never came. Just more excuses to be off the floor and unhelpful.

Workplace culture: The management specified above, has multiple of their own working for them, an obvious conflict of interest that is expressly forbidden in potbelly's own handbook, of which i had to seek out and wasn't provided upon hire.
This promotes a culture of obvious favoritism. Even though one of the family members isn't management, they will still boss you around with a "my family owns this place" demeanor, don't expect any help from these members, as they have accommodations that weren't provided for by potbelly themselves, but rather the local ownership. As stated, a definite conflict of interest.

The hardest part of the job:
showing up everyday to learn the people who were helpful either quit (most likely due to the circumstances defined above) or has called off (a sure sign that additional resignation is imminent)

A typical day at work:
Either half the team calls off, or half the team was new

believe I learned:
why management and a good hiring/training program is critical to an otherwise successful business. Training programs exist for potbelly, but this leadership in Springfield will expect you to watch and finish videos off the clock on your own time
When the videos say "now its time to learn this with your trainer" you'll be at home, with no trainer in site, an obvious flaw considering the training is supposed to happen in store with certified trainers.

Management:  everyday during peak they hide in the back office "doing paperwork" which must be code for "dishes and sweeping", basically hides for the entire rush unless so many people called off (probably due to this very reason) that they have no choice but to help.
They have on many occasions used the lack of staffing and constant revolving door of team members as an excuse not to be on the floor helping a new business take off, citing that they need to hire more people...
but "more people" never came. Just more excuses to be off the floor and unhelpful.

Workplace culture: The management specified above, has multiple of their own working for them, an obvious conflict of interest that is expressly forbidden in potbelly's own handbook, of which i had to seek out and wasn't provided upon hire.
This promotes a culture of obvious favoritism. Even though one of the family members isn't management, they will still boss you around with a "my family owns this place" demeanor, don't expect any help from these members, as they have accommodations that weren't provided for by potbelly themselves, but rather the local ownership. As stated, a definite conflict of interest.

The hardest part of the job:
showing up everyday to learn the people who were helpful either quit (most likely due to the circumstances defined above) or has called off (a sure sign that additional resignation is imminent) 


Potbelly Sandwich Works not only has great sandwiches, but great people working for them.  I grand opened and worked at the Harlem/Archer location when I first started with the company.  This company is really dedicated to their employees.  I did so well at the location I was at that my manager recommended me to be trained as a Certified Trainer.  So, I went through all the steps and passed my certification in order to gain the title of Certified Trainer.  Not sure what happened at that location, but everyone was not getting a lot of hours.  Due to hardly no hours, I would work a few at that location and transport by bus to the Midway Airport location where I would work a few hours.  I was given the opportunity to fully transfer to the Midway Airport and around this time is when I was put in the company system as a Certified Trainer.  My beginning pay rate was $7.50 an hour and when I became a Certified Trainer I was supposed to get a raise from $7.50 to $12.00 an hour.  When, I asked my new manager about when my new pay grade would be put in I was told that I just got a raise to $8.50 an hour.  The manager told me that since the company just raised everyone who was at $7.50 an hour to $8.50 an hour that I would not be getting a raise to $12 an hour which is what Certified Trainers were making before company wide raise.  This one reason alone broke my trust and faith in Potbelly Sandwich Works.  Their management teams are great people and amazing, but when management does not fight for what an employee was promised then it changes the perspective of how they are seen.  The enjoyable part of the job at Midway was my co-workers, meeting people from different places and being able to work the 5am-1pm shift which allowed me to still have time with family and do whatever errands I had to for the day.  The hardest part of this job is that if something goes on or goes wrong there is no union in place in order to fight for the employees.  They would have to just deal or part ways with the company.

I get all my orders for the day together, make sure the addresses on the orders are in our delivery zone. make sure we have the things they're asking for. get everything together, count my drawer and we ready for the day to begin. Then I make sure everything they ordered is in the bags, call my drivers and time to head out. after all my delivers is done, my job is to call all my customers back and ask them how great was their lunch. Must of my customers be surprise to receive a call from me and they thank me.(I've created a lot of customers) After I've done all my calls , I have to input all the information the customers said into the data base. Even the one that had a problem with they food. When I get a response like that, I apologize for they mistake that occurred, then I let them know I put they name in the book so the next time they order I'll make sure they get the item we messed up on.I like working with my co-workers they are so energetic(that's potbelly's) meaning when a customer came in to order we all have to call out what they ordered, but we add fun to it and we can be loud. If I have a lot of orders for the day, they always ask if i need help. The hardest part of the job is when a customers do a order online and they want like fifteen sandwiches and they want it delivered in a half of hour, remind you I got like twelve other order i'm getting together. I got to call that person and let them know that time is not available. They say well i'm gonna pick it up(presser) but I get in together for them just to keep my customer and keep them happy.The most enjoyable part of the job is keeping my customers happy and them knowing me by my first name. say like i'm on vacation, when i get back a regular customer call and be like you cant missed know days because your co-workers cant never get my order right like you do. They make me feel special.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Team member 2493 salaries reported	$15.07 per hour
Shift leader 1324 salaries reported	$16.98 per hour
General manager 339 salaries reported	$62,385 per year
Assistant manager 192 salaries reported	$52,740 per year
Night team member 107 salaries reported	$15.25 per hour

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