Potbelly Sandwich Works is finally stepping inside St. Louis city limits, with plans for a Central West End shop in a high-visibility corner space. The sandwich chain is targeting the bustling Euclid and Laclede intersection, a spot that has seen a steady churn of quick-service tenants in recent years.
According to KSDK, a building permit for 2 N. Euclid Ave was issued May 18, 2026, covering a roughly 3,300-square-foot corner space. The permit review lists about $200,000 in interior alterations to convert the former Einstein Bros. Bagels unit. KSDK reports the storefront has been vacant since at least 2021, and so far there is no announced opening date.
Local directories back up the space’s bagel-shop past, underscoring the block’s long-running identity as a quick-service strip. Earlier listings from YellowPages and neighborhood guides show Einstein Bros. at the 2 N. Euclid address.
Permits and the Buildout
The permit details point to a serious tenant buildout, not just a coat of paint and some new signage. As noted by KSDK, a roughly $200,000 budget typically covers heavy-duty kitchen, HVAC and plumbing work needed for full food service. Paired with about 3,300 square feet on a prominent corner, the scope suggests Potbelly is planning seating and back-of-house space rather than a tiny grab-and-go counter.
How This Fits the Market
Potbelly already has a footprint in the St. Louis metro area, although most locations ring the city rather than sit inside it. The chain’s local presence shows up on delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, and a recent St. Louis-area posting for a restaurant delivery driver on LinkedIn points to ongoing hiring in the region.
Locking in 2 N. Euclid would give Potbelly a highly walkable, high-foot-traffic address in the Central West End and would drop a national sandwich brand into a corridor that already has several food and drink concepts circling for space.
What’s Next
Neighborhood trackers and city permitting dashboards have shown steady restaurant and retail activity up and down Euclid in recent months, which makes the corner especially appealing for a national tenant. Elevated permitting in the Central West End shows up in both CWEScene coverage and the city’s building-permits dashboard.
For now, the issued permit is the clearest evidence that Potbelly is moving ahead with the project. Until the company goes public with an opening timeline, locals will have to settle for watching the buildout from the sidewalk.
