A Chicago-based restaurant chain known for its toasted, made-to-order sandwiches, as well as hand-scooped milkshakes and other comfort food, is getting ready to open its first Jacksonville location.
Potbelly Sandwich Works hopes to debut the first of its planned seven restaurants in mid-April at 9908 Old Baymeadows Road in the Publix-anchored Deerwood Village shopping center, franchise owner Patrick Prendergast told the Times-Union.
The restaurant chain fills a gap in Jacksonville’s fast-casual dining scene, he said.
“A sub’s a sub, and then there is a Potbelly sub. Potbelly’s sending it through the ovenand you get that golden crispy bread once it’s through. It’s never a bad experience,” said Prendergast, who was 14 when he got a job at a Potbelly on the Southside of Chicago and made his first sub.
Now, a multiple franchise owner at age 38, he said Potbelly is still as good and special as when he started with the restaurant chain.
“It’s not just sandwiches. It’s soups, it’s salads, it’s shakes, smoothies, mac and cheese and chili … a variety of taste experiences,” he said. “It’s all the above, and it’s unlike any sub experience that Jacksonville has today. And it’s always such a welcoming, warm environment. ‘Good people, good vibes,’ that’s Potbelly’s motto.”
In the works for nearly two years, the roughly 1,566-square-foot Deerwood Village restaurant will have about 20 seats.
Prendergast estimated the Deerwood Village restaurant cost about $1 million.
The restaurant will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, he said.
(This story was edited to reflect an updated opening date for the restaurant.)
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Potbelly Sandwich Works sets opening for 1st Jacksonville restaurant
Reporting by Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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