Potbelly Sandwich Works

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedFebruary 24, 2026
• address959 W Diversey Pkwy, Chicago 60614

Is Potbelly Sandwich Works clean?

Potbelly Sandwich Works is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 24, 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 February 24, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  Proper Hot Holding Temperatures • NOTED APPROXIMATELY 5 LBS COOKED MEATBALLS IN A HOT HOLDING UNIT AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES OF 110.7F, 112.4F. ALL DISCARDED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • NOTED THE FOLLOWING TCS FOODS HELD AT IMPROPER COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURES IN TWO COOLERS. SLICED BEEF AT 46.7, HAM AT 44.6F AND CHICKEN SALAD AT 51.6F. ALL TCS FOODS FOUND IN COOLERS DISCARDED. PRIORITY VIOLATION. SEE THE ABOVE VIOLATION #21 FOR CITATION.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • NOTED TWO PREP LINE ONE DOOR COOLERS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE TEMPERATURES. ONE COOLER FOUND AT 44.2F WITH BEEF AT 46.7F. THE OTHER COOLER NOTED AT 55.2F WITH CHICKEN SALAD AT 51.6F. BOTH COOLERS TAGGED HELD FOR INSPECTION AND MUST NOT USE UNTIL REPAIRED, MAINTAINS A TEMPERATURE OF 41F OR BELOW AND C.D.P.H CONTACTED FOR RE-INSPECTION AND TAG REMOVAL. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • MUST NOT USE PLASTIC CRATES AS A MEANS OF ELEVATION FOR STORED ITEMS UNDER THE REAR PREP TABLE AND INSIDE THE WALK-IN COOLER.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • WALL AT THE HOT HOLDING UNIT WITH CHIPPING/PEELING PAINT, PLASTER. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR TO BE SMOOTH AND CLEANABLE.

When was Potbelly Sandwich Works last inspected?

Potbelly Sandwich Works has 24 inspections on record going back to May 11, 2011. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Potbelly Sandwich Works vs Lake View

Lake View runs 68% clean across 2,211 tracked restaurants — 1,492 clean, 440 mid, 272 cooked.

Against the 2,211 spots Cooked tracks in Lake View, this one comes out cleaner than 25% of them.

Other spots in Lake View

• ✓! Barberry
  mid · February 1, 2011
• ? Addison Newstand
  cooked · December 3, 2014
• ✓ Merlo Ristorante
  clean · January 14, 2011
• ✓! Mista Pizza
  mid · September 27, 2010
• ? Smash Cake
  cooked · December 10, 2014
• ✓ Janitzio Burritos Y Tagueria
  clean · May 4, 2018

See every restaurant inspection in Lake View →

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 February 24, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.