Frederick’s newest sandwich shop is now open for business.
Potbelly Sandwich Works has been around since 1977, when the first store opened in Chicago. Potbelly got its name from the original Potbelly stove used in the restaurant.
Potbelly Sandwich Works is owned by Bryant and Hampden Keil. Bryant Keil became the owner and CEO of this company by simply talking to his local Potbelly owner. Bryant had become a fan of the franchise and found himself going to Potbelly frequently. On one of the visits to the store, there was a manager present. Bryant asked him why they had not opened more franchises, and the owner told him he had not met the correct people to expand the business. Bryant then made an agreement with that owner and, a year later, he became the CEO and owner of the business along with his father, Hampden Keil.
Potbelly Sandwich Works came to Frederick in December 2024. Their menu options include sandwiches, soups, shakes, smoothies and chips.

Reporter for The Lance Cara Morgan went to try Potbelly at the new Frederick location.
Overall, the experience was considered tolerable.
In my opinion, the staff were still getting used to their jobs and seemed very confused taking orders. The food took quite a while to be prepared and did not come out until it was asked about.
During this visit, many people were dining in, but it was not too busy. The store had an online ordering system, which seemed to work better than ordering in person.
Overall, the environment was very nice. The restrooms were clean, as were the tables and chairs in the dining area.
Out of the many menu options, I chose to order the cubano sandwich combo. The cubano sandwich is pulled pork, ham, swiss cheese, deli mustard and pickles. The combo came with chips and a drink, which made the total around $15.

The sandwich itself was made very nicely. The flavors went well together, and the sandwich was loaded with pulled pork and ham. However, there was not any swiss cheese on the sandwich, even though it was part of the order Despite this, it still tasted okay. Besides the cheese, the only other topping was pickles and deli mustard. The mustard was settled; it was not too strong. The pickles were the size of the sandwich, which I enjoyed since I am a fan of pickles
The chips and the drink selected to accompany my sandwich were basic lemonade and potato chips. The lemonade was a bit tangy but still tasted delicious. The chips were simple baked potato chips, and they were a safe choice given the other options. They had many Zapps chips which can be very hit or miss for me, so I chose a simpler option to eat with my sandwich.
When compared to Jersey Mike’s Subs, Potbelly Sandwich Works is not up to par. Overall the sandwich was alright, but I would choose other restaurants over Potbelly Sandwich Works.
Frederick Potbelly employee, Melanie Pickrell, shares her experience working at Potbelly since the store’s opening so far.
“My personal experience at Potbelly’s is really good,” Pickerell said.. “I love my coworkers and the environment there and learning how to do my job like making sandwiches and milkshakes was easy. So far, it’s been really busy, but my managers, who have previously worked at other Potbelly stores, said it calms down pretty quickly.”.
Pickrell has been working at the Frederick location since it first opened and has stayed consistently busy throughout the first month.
Another employee and senior at Linganore High School (LHS) Luke Spielman described his first few weeks at Potbelly.
“It can be slightly stressful or difficult at first, as there is a lot of learning to do, but the environment is good, and there are a bunch of high school and college students working there.”.
Stress comes with any job, but it seems both these employees are happy working at Potbelly Sandwich Works and have had positive experiences so far.

Potbelly Sandwich Works customer, Doug P, had a pleasant experience at Potbelly, but claims that any local to Frederick can beat the franchise out very quickly.
“If you are out of town and want a safe or familiar shop, then [Potbelly Sandwich Works] is a decent pick,” Doug P said.. “For locals of Frederick, any of the local sandwich shops will beat this place out. The food was your typical lunch meat style sandwich. I got an avo[cado] turkey sandwich with bacon, and it was decent. I don’t typically do avocado at restaurants, but the fresh avocado here was good.”.
Ultimately, their sandwiches are very simple which can be nice; however, they don’t have any of their own flare, meaning I could easily make the same sandwich at home and be equally as satisfied.