Potbelly Sandwich Works is preparing to open its first Jacksonville restaurant now that it has received a city building permit for the corner space in the Deerwood Village shopping center.
Brothers Construction Group Construction Co. of Jacksonville is the contractor for the $457,923 project at 9908 Old Baymeadows Road, at southwest Baymeadows Road and Southside Boulevard. The city issued a build-out permit Aug. 5.
Publix is rebuilding its supermarket there as the anchor tenant. The Potbelly space was previously leased by Subway.
DXU Architects of Chicago is the architect for the project, which is a 1,536-square-foot build-out. Plans show 26 seats inside and four outdoors.
A sign in the plans shows it as Potbelly Sandwich Shop, another name for the restaurant.
Franchisee Patrick Prendergast of Gold & Green Management LLC of Ponte Vedra is the franchise owner. The LLC lists him and Leah Prendergast as the owners.
He posted on LinkedIn that Gold & Green Management intended to open seven Potbelly locations in Duval and St. Johns counties.
Stephanie McCullough, senior vice president and principal of SRS Real Estate Partners, is listed as the contact for the landlord.
Chicago-based Potbelly sells toasted sandwiches, soups, macaroni and cheese, salads, fresh-baked cookies and hand-scooped milkshakes.
The at least 20 varieties of sandwiches include prime rib steak; “A Wreck” of turkey breast, smoked ham, roast beef, salami and Swiss cheese; a veggie melt; chicken salad; and grilled cheese.
Potbelly was founded in an antique shop in 1977. It has grown to 444 locations, including 103 franchised shops, in 29 states and Washington, D.C. There are 11 in Florida.
It became a public company in 2013.
Potbelly Corp. said in a May 7, 2025, news release that it signed 40 new franchise shop commitments, bringing the total number of open and committed shop count to 766 as of March 30, 2025.