The dominance of Subway and Jersey Mike’s in the local sandwich market is about to be challenged.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop was issued a permit this past week for its new restaurant to be located in the shopping plaza near Starbucks at the corner of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Rolling Acres Road in Lady Lake. The new restaurant will have 44 seats, including several booths.
Potbelly specializes in submarine sandwiches and milkshakes, but also offers soups, salads and cookies.
The franchise owner for the Lady Lake location reportedly has plans for four other Potbelly restaurants in Lake, Sumter and Marion counties.
Potbelly, based in Chicago, is rapidly rolling out new franchise locations in the United States, including New York, Ohio, Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as Florida.
The first Potbelly Sandwich Shop opened in 1977 in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Bryant Keil bought Potbelly in 1996 and grew the company from one to 250 shops over the next 12 years. Potbelly became a publicly traded company in 2013.
An opening date for the Lady Lake Potbelly Sandwich Shop has not yet been announced.
