Potbelly Sandwich Shop

They just opened, so I’m always a little hesitant to leave a review this early on. I know every restaurant has their first growing pains shortly after opening. This is no exception.
The staff seems a trifle confused sometimes, but there are a few there already who know their roles, who know ALL the roles, and who can provide a positive customer experience.
Regarding the food, it’s pretty standard for Potbelly, no real surprises here. Though, I will admit, this is the first location I’ve seen to offer the mac n’ cheese side with the optional add-​ons. You can choose from: bacon, chili, mushrooms, hot peppers, and roasted red peppers. I wasn’t a huge fan, but I’m not a big proponent of creamy mac. It was decent, though, not horrible, but not rave-​worthy.
The sandwiches are in line with the chain, so you can probably get what you’re expecting if you’ve been to a Potbelly before. I think the staff (some of them at least) are still learning the ropes of sandwich making. For instance, you shouldn’t put mayo on a sandwich via spatula directly on hot melted cheese. Recipe for disaster (no pun intended).
Overall, though, I’m kind of a fan of Potbelly to start, so having a location open up closer to my office was a huge win. I just hope they iron out these issues sooner than later. If so, I’ll definitely be happy to update my review to reflect the new standard I hope they will set.

I came here for both lunch and dinner. The first time was during their opening week and it was packed during lunch. However, they were able to get through the line fast by having an employee get everyone’s order before going to the counter, which I thought was very convenient. I do not know if they still do this during peak hours or if it was just an opening week kind of thing. When I went around 5 PM it was not busy, so they didn’t really need a person getting everyone’s order before they got to the counter. The people preparing your food are kind of slow. The person that was wrapping my sandwich had to call another person on how to wrap it and put in the bag. However, the employees all seem kind of new and with more training and experience hopefully they will get more faster.
I have tasted their grilled chicken and cheddar, chicken salad, and a wreck sandwich. They are all very good but in my opinion they are a little scanty on their portions with the meat. In particular, the grilled chicken and cheddar that I ordered from the last time that I visited. The chicken was weighed on an electronic scale, this was the first Potbelly experience where they did that. When I ate my sandwich there were several bites where there were no meat. For the price that you pay for bigs I would hope to get more meat than what I had received. However, try their milkshakes they are delicious! You cannot go wrong with Oreo and if you like coffee I would recommend doing a mix of coffee along with Oreo!

I usually love Potbelly’s. I have to say the staff they have at this location need a bit more training in customer service. Maybe it’s because they are a new location, but the whole e perience felt very childish. I hope they get better at their customer service skills soon. I am willing to drive further to college park next to Ikea because I know that location will take care of me.

Where do I start? They are a little disorganized. I had an original grilled chicken with cheddar cheese. My boyfriend had a big roast beef. They charged me for two bigs. Just double check before you pay. Other then that the sandwiches are good.

This is a new location for Potbelly, tucked away in the Tech Road food complex. It’s a great spot for a place like this, as it is filled with business travelers and people who work in the area. I’ll bet they will be busy at lunchtime, and then much slower at night, as are most of the restaurants in this location.
I’ve only visited one other Potbelly Sandwich Shop, so am not sure if the confusion in the ordering system is me, this particular store, or the company in general. I do know that it took multiple repeats of my three item order before the staff could make dinner for me. Two sandwiches and an order of mac and cheese didn’t seem a difficult request, but the staff is new and the ordering process is different than it is in other sandwich shops.
One thing that I wish was different (and I believe this is a company issue) is the fixings section. The bread and meat are all behind glass, but the veggies are hidden behind a tall wooden counter. The menu of toppings is small enough to be on a board behind the counter, but I’d much rather be able to see the items and to pick them as I choose. Kudos to them for having the spicy peppers available in sealed containers at the end. They have a nice kick, so I’m glad I was able to add them to my meal with ease.
Three stars because the food was fresh and the service was friendly but lacked any teamwork training. I’m sure that they will be busy no matter what, but I do hope that the ordering process becomes smoother.