Potbelly Sandwich Works

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJanuary 8, 2026
• address545 W Madison St, Chicago 60661

Is Potbelly Sandwich Works clean?

Potbelly Sandwich Works is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 8, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Potbelly Sandwich Works?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 8, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  Proper Hot Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED MEATBALLS AND RED SAUCE BETWEEN 110.0F AND 130.0F AT THE FRONT PREPARATION AREA WARMER. INSTRUCTED TO DENATURE AND DISCARD LISTED TCS FOOD ITEM(S) AT IMPROPER HOT-HOLDING TEMPERATURES AND MAINTAIN ALL TCS FOOD ITEM(S) AT 135.0F OR ABOVE FOR HOT-HOLDING. APPROXIMATELY 10 LBS OF FOOD VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $30.00 DISCARDED ON-SITE. PERSON-IN-CHARGE DENATURED AND DISCARDED LISTED TCS FOOD ITEM(S) ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED CUT TOMATOES AT 50.1F IN THE FRONT PREPARATION AREA MINI COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO DENATURE AND DISCARD LISTED TCS FOOD ITEM(S) AT IMPROPER COLD-HOLDING TEMPERATURES AND MAINTAIN ALL TCS FOOD ITEM(S) AT 41.0F OR BELOW FOR COLD-HOLDING. APPROXIMATELY 10 LBS OF FOOD VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $15.00 DISCARDED ON-SITE. PERSON-IN-CHARGE DENATURED AND DISCARDED LISTED TCS FOOD ITEM(S) ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005 CITATION CONSOLIDATION WITH VIOLATION #21.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED STORAGE CLOSET IN THE REAR AREA (NEAR EMPLOYEE RESTROOM) TO BE EXCESSIVELY CLUTTERED. INSTRUCTED TO REDUCE CLUTTER AND ELIMINATE ITEMS UNNECESSARY TO FOOD OPERATIONS TO ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE PEST MONITORING AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED FLOORS BENEATH 3-COMPARTMENT SINK AND CHEST FREEZER IN THE REAR WAREWASHING/UTILITY AREA TO BE SOILED WITH DRIED FOOD DEBRIS AND DUST DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOORS BENEATH EQUIPMENT TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF DUST, DRIED FOOD DEBRIS, AND OTHER SOILS AND MAINTAIN.

When was Potbelly Sandwich Works last inspected?

Potbelly Sandwich Works has 26 inspections on record going back to June 15, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Potbelly Sandwich Works vs Near West Side

Near West Side runs 50% clean across 2,033 tracked restaurants — 1,019 clean, 227 mid, 774 cooked.

Against the 2,033 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 44% of them.

Other spots in Near West Side

• ? Gotham Grind
  cooked · May 3, 2012
• ? Vice
  cooked · October 25, 2010
• ✓ Macello Ristorante
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• ? Bezantium
  cooked · January 13, 2012
• ✓ Ambassador Public House
  cooked · June 10, 2019
• ✓ Greektown Gyros
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See every restaurant inspection in Near West Side →

How Chicago grades restaurants

Chicago does not use letter grades. Every inspection ends in one of three official results: Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail. Pass with Conditions means violations were found but corrected on the spot or under a deadline — the restaurant is open, with homework. A Fail means serious violations went uncorrected, and it usually brings a re-inspection within days. Chicago also flags “priority” violations, the ones most likely to actually make someone sick. Cooked reads Pass as clean, Pass with Conditions as mid, and Fail as cooked, and shows the itemized violations behind each result.

Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated January 8, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.