San Antonio gets its first Potbelly

  • 2015-08-30
Potbelly Sandwich Shop is opening up its first San Antonio locations.

The chain will open two locations in the city, with one in the Rivercenter Mall and the other at The Rim. Potbelly is a “fast-casual” restaurant offering various sandwiches, soups, salads, and smoothies.

Construction is slated to start on the store in Rivercenter Mall next month, and finish some time in November. The dates for construction on the location at the Rim have not been announced, but the company says it anticipates a fall opening for the site.

Potbelly currently operates more than 300 stores across the country, and more than 50 stores throughout Texas, including one in San Marcos and three in Austin, but this is its first foray into the San Antonio market.

Potbelly started in Chicago, when a young couple, the owners of an antique shop, began serving lunch to their customers. The idea of eating lunch in such surroundings proved to have a great appeal, and the shop thrived. In 1996, Bryant Keil, an entrepreneur, bought the original store, which was located on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, and set out to create a nationwide chain of stores that duplicated the same feeling of having lunch with friends.

When the new locations open, managers could work with flyer printing companies on handouts for distribution opening week, including coupons, to invite visitors to try a sandwich.