Potbelly — Restaurant in Chicago

We'll see how they fix it. My mother and I used to go to the original on Lincoln Ave.

Edit, Fri 3/14, 2025: they did a really good job. They kept after their Google reviews and made things right. I've been there 5-6 times and it was always clean. Even right after lunch, which is when I tend to go.

This place is apparently very well managed, and she and her crew should probably get a raise/promotion, after 23%+ inflation since 2019. Maybe stock options. Nothing makes you work and care like your own vested interest in the company. Shouldn't be just CEOs with all the money taking more. People also need to know stocks and investments are the only way to beat inflation. Some you can buy direct, like McDonald's and Krispy Kreme and they're not expensive.

I laughed when I saw 3 little containers of giardiniera peppers.

This time and of late, I have to double-check everything everwhere. I asked for 2 roast beef and please put peppers on the side. There were also peppers on both sandwiches. Which I personally am not into.

When I worked at Demon Dogs in the early 90s, I learned to ask about the peppers early on. I know it's technically part of "everything," but a lot of people don't like hot stuff. We used to do all the food for Chicago and their crew (the band) when in town. 60+ sandwiches.

That was another place you could see people touching your food, which is never a bad idea. After what you see on TV, it should be law that ALL restaurants have CCTV anyone can see. Maybe like a few minutes at a time or something.

Problem? My house is 10 miles away.

I wasn't given my cream soda, either, which was a MUCH easier avoidable problem when the fridge was right there and you just grab it.

I have to go back down there tomorrow, so we'll see. Everyone was polite and I ALWAYS want to watch whoever is touching my food, as I've seen/heard some gross things in general...tho I realize you only SEE gross stuff on TV. Not the good places.

That's something that SHOULD be required classes for EVERYONE. Food issues are no joke, and everyone should know the rules: keep it clean and separate (raw from cooked). Hot foods hot, cold foods cold.

It was cleaned up (tables) when I was there around lunchtime (another review said this, but I've never seen it). It...

This store is what happens when a chain decides it wants to fix what isn't broken, change its format to be like other fast food , and ends up confusing customers and providing poor service.

When I walk into a Potbelly I expect to place my order, customize my toppings, and then pay. That's how Potbelly works, both at the original Lincoln Ave location and at every other Potbelly I've been to...except this one. Here, they make you pay up front at a register, and if they don't ask you what toppings you want, you won't know to ask, because why would a Potbelly have standard toppings? That's not what Potbelly does...except it does here. I went over to the toppings side and patiently waited to tell the staff what I wanted, and was flabbergasted when done random toppings were thrown on and I was handed the sandwich before I could process what was going on and say anything.

This setup probably is an attempt to better accommodate online orders, and it might be fine if you're a customer that doesn't know better, but I won't be patronizing this location again. The experience is not what I expect from Potbelly, and barring a renovation of the store it's not...

I placed a delivery order on Monday to be delivered Tuesday at 11:45 AM for a corporate lunch meeting. At 11:47 AM—still no food—so I called the Potbelly location. I was told the order had been ready but was just sitting there because they didn’t have a driver to deliver it. The manager said she would call me back in five minutes.

Fifteen minutes passed—no call. I called back again, and she repeated that no driver had picked up the order. At that point, she asked me to place the same order again and said they’d refund both. We placed the second order, and it finally arrived 45 minutes later.

Unfortunately, the sandwiches had been sitting for nearly two hours and were completely soggy and cold by the time they arrived. It was incredibly disappointing, especially for a professional work event.

What’s worse is that if I hadn’t reached out, they never would have informed me about the delay or issue. Potbelly's lack of communication and preparedness really left a bad taste in my mouth—literally and figuratively. I won’t be ordering from here again. They need...