Potbelly Sandwich Works is finally planting its flag in Jacksonville, with its first local shop set to open May 5 at the Deerwood Village shopping center. A bigger splash comes May 16, when the Deerwood location hosts a grand opening that will feature giveaways, including free Potbelly menu items for a year for the first 50 customers in the door. The debut marks the start of a planned seven-shop rollout across Northeast Florida by local franchisee Patrick Prendergast.
The new restaurant will open at 9908 Old Baymeadows Road and operate daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with 26 indoor seats and four outdoor spots, according to the Jax Daily Record. The city issued a permit on Aug. 5, 2025, for Brothers Group Construction Co. to renovate the 1,536-square-foot space at an estimated cost of about $457,923. The storefront previously housed a Subway franchise. Prendergast of Gold & Green Management LLC called the opening a "full-circle moment" after his early work with Potbelly in Chicago.
RaceTrac Deal Speeds Growth
Potbelly's Northeast Florida push comes as the chain looks to move faster nationwide after its acquisition by RaceTrac in October 2025. RaceTrac completed the purchase in late 2025, and the sandwich brand now has more than 450 locations, with plans to surpass 500 in 2026. Reporting by Restaurant Dive notes that executives expect franchising, along with RaceTrac's construction and real estate muscle, to speed up new site development.
What Jacksonville Diners Can Expect
The Deerwood restaurant will serve Potbelly staples, including toasted sandwiches, salads and hand-scooped shakes, and it will offer phone orders, app-based takeout and catering, the Jax Daily Record reports. A second area location, at Hodges Station on Beach Boulevard, is already in the works as part of Prendergast's plan to open seven shops across Duval and St. Johns counties. The Deerwood shop sits across from the Florida State College at Jacksonville campus, positioning it as an easy stop for students and nearby residents looking for a quick bite.
With a relatively compact footprint and a familiar Chicago-born menu, Potbelly is poised to slide into Jacksonville's growing quick-casual scene as another option for lunch breaks and late-afternoon shake runs. Expect signage and job postings to hit the Deerwood storefront in the coming weeks as the team locks in the opening schedule.
