BALTIMORE — The man who founded and once ran Potbelly Sandwich Works is planning to open dozens more restaurants in this area - including six or so in greater Baltimore.
Bryant Keil, who grew Potbelly into a national chain starting in the mid-1990s, now wants to open at least 35 new restaurants in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, over the next eight years.
That includes at least 15 in Maryland.
Keil and his son, Hampden, just opened the first Potbelly in Frederick, on Dec. 18.
He said the opening was "really incredible," with a record-breaking first week and second week, which "was pretty amazing."
They're also finalizing two or three leases in the Baltimore area, but he said he couldn't yet disclose the exact locations of any more stores.
There are several Potbelly restaurants currently in the area, including Towson, Glen Burnie, Mt. Vernon, Charles Village, and downtown - but Keil doesn't own those.
Potbelly has some franchised stores, and some corporate-owned ones.
Keil grew up in Montgomery County, and said his "primary goal is to add stores to the Potbelly system."
"We're really excited about it. Our stores are doing really well and it's nice to see customers loving the brand," he said. "The food is really good, and the people are really nice, and the stores aren't cookie-cutter, they're fun, and that makes a big difference to me."
