Potbelly Sandwich Shop has opened in Burke Mill Village shopping center in Winston-Salem, giving the local franchise to Dion Hilliard and Keish Hilliard. The store is decorated with Winston-Salem memorabilia and, like every Potbelly location, includes a potbelly stove.
Dion Hilliard said his interest in the brand started long before this opening. He first visited a Potbelly store, liked what he saw and liked what he ate. “They had great food, and I just loved the look,” he said. “I said, ‘It would be great to run one of these one of these days.'”
The opening gives customers a look at the menu that helped draw him in. Among the featured items were a grilled chicken club wrap, a Farmhouse salad, a strawberry shake, a Wreck sandwich and broccoli and cheese soup. The Wreck comes with turkey breast, hickory smoked ham, Angus roast beef, salami and Swiss cheese with a choice of toppings. The Farmhouse salad includes grilled chicken, crumbled blue cheese, egg, cucumber, tomato, field greens and ranch dressing.
The shop’s location in Burke Mill Village ties the new store to a busy part of Winston-Salem, while the memorabilia on the walls gives it a local touch that sets it apart from a standard chain opening. The photos and menu descriptions show a store trying to lean on both familiarity and neighborhood identity.
What comes next is simple enough: the Hilliards will try to turn a brand with a recognizable look and menu into a regular stop for customers in Winston-Salem. The first test is whether the nostalgia on the walls and the food on the counter are enough to make the location feel like it belongs there.
