Metro welcomes Potbelly Sandwich Shop to our L’Enfant Plaza headquarters, adding new street-level food option

Metro is announcing an agreement with Potbelly Sandwich Shop to lease about 2,300 square feet of prime retail space on the ground floor of Metro’s L’Enfant Plaza headquarters, 300 Seventh St. SW. The opening, expected this fall, will add to the area’s revitalization, by creating a more active street with vibrant storefront restaurants and retail stores.

The neighborhood sandwich shop will be prominently located at street level across from one of the L’Enfant Plaza Metro entrances and a five-minute walk from the National Mall. It will provide the local community and Metro employees with a new, convenient food option that promises fresh, fast and friendly service.

Metro moved into its new L’Enfant Plaza headquarters in 2022, after renovating the former Reporter’s Building. The building was designed to include new retail space and additional commercial office space providing an opportunity to generate additional revenue for Metro. 

“We are excited to be part of the revitalization of the Southwest community, generating new tax revenue for the city, and creating additional amenities for the public and Metro employees,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke. “We are committed to the vitality of the neighborhood and bringing new investments to the area that is now home to our Metro headquarters.”

Metro has four additional retail spaces available for lease, ranging from approximately 1,300 to 2,400 square feet. The area is easily accessible with five of Metro’s six rail lines at L’Enfant Plaza -- Blue, Orange, Silver, Green and Yellow – as well as Metrobus and Circulator bus routes. 

The addition of Potbelly, and other street-level storefronts, will help drive additional foot traffic to the area where there are few visible retail options. 

Potbelly is a publicly traded, fast-casual restaurant brand, focusing on oven-toasted sandwiches, hearty soups, freshly-made salads, hand-dipped shakes, and fresh cookies. They were founded in Chicago in 1977 and have over 400 stores/franchises. 

The L’Enfant Plaza headquarters is part of Metro’s office consolidation, including the Metro Building at New Carrollton in Maryland and the Metro Building at Eisenhower Ave. in Virginia. The old, outdated headquarters at the Jackson Graham Building was sold in a ground lease and is being redeveloped.

Metro is an industry leader in creating mixed-use transit-oriented projects across the region and, in 2022, launched a 10-year Strategic Plan for Joint Development. These investments support Metro’s Strategic Transformation Plan and help to foster regional partnerships, sustainability, and equity, provide service excellence, and attract top-flight talent.

CBRE represented Metro in the lease. Parties interested in the lease of additional retail space should contact Reilly Hudson reilly.hudson@cbre.com or realestate@wmata.com.