Potbelly Wreck - Cigar Coop

Today, we are reviewing a sandwich from Potbelly Sandwich Shop called “A Wreck.” This sandwich is considered the signature offering from Potbelly. “A Wreck” features four different types of meat: salami, turkey breast, roast beef, and smoked turkey. Additionally, it is topped with Swiss cheese.

Sandwich Works founded Potbelly Sandwich Shops in 1977 in Chicago. Today, the company still has its headquarters in Chicago, and as of March 2024, there were 427 stores located in the U.S. market. Potbelly Sandwich Shops focuses on hot submarine sandwiches, soups, shakes, smoothies, and some dessert items. The name was derived from the fact that, at one time, a potbelly stove was used to heat the sandwiches. While a potbelly stove is not used today, you may still see one in some shops.

The Construction

This sandwich was customized. For the most part, the Wreck defaults to the four meats, and everything else is an option. One additional change I made was that I did not include the Swiss cheese. The size ordered was the “Big” – which is Potbelly’s largest sandwich.

Genoa Salami (Default)
Roast Beef (Default)
Smoked Ham (Default)
Turkey Breast (Default)
Brown Deli Mustard (Option)
Lettuce (Option)
Tomato (Option)
Onion (Option)
Hot Pepper (Option)
Pickle (Option)
Oil (Option)
White Bread (Default)
Size: Big (Large)
Length: 11 1/2″
Weight: 1 7/16 lbs
Sandwiches Eaten: 2
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Price: $14.29

The sandwich is constructed with the meats on the lower half and the condiments on the upper half.

The Experience

For this assessment, we used the default scoring system for most sandwiches.

Meat 4 points
Bread: 2 points
Condiments: 2 points
Intangibles: 2 points

Meat

There are two things I can say about the meat on the Wreck sandwich. First, it looked quite processed, and second, it tasted quite processed as well. I know that deli meat is generally processed, but this was even more processed than I prefer. Among the four types of meat, the ham was the least processed and had the best flavor. After tasting these meats, I realized that I have had better cuts of meat on other sandwiches.

I have had other meats at Potbelly, and they don’t all fall into this category. This one definitely fell short.

Score: 1.50 out of 4.0 points

Bread

The bread used on the Wreck was lightly toasted. I particularly liked how the light toasting enhanced the crust of this sandwich, particularly on the top of the loaf. The bottom of the bread also has a nice amount of toasting. The bread is what I term “dusted.” This is usually a flour and/or cornmeal combination that prevents the bread from sticking to the pan. It enhances the overall bread experience. Overall, Potbelly offers excellent bread that has a delightful flavor.

On the negative side, this heavy sandwich comes in just under 1 1/2 lbs. This bread had a very light feel and sometimes made for a sloppy sandwich.

Score: 1.25 out of 2 points

Condiments

There are a lot of condiments on the Wreck. Some of them worked better than others. I thought the stars of the show were the onions and hot peppers. The onions tasted good, and the hot peppers were giardiniera-style. These had the right amount of heat. The tomatoes were average, and the lettuce was wilted.

The mustard and oil are actually mixed with the other condiments. This is something that I liked. While the mustard was good, I found it slightly overpowered this sandwich, even though it had hot peppers.

Score: 1.25 out of 2 points

Intangibles

The Wreck had good bread and good condiments. The problem is that the Wreck fell short in terms of the meats. This is a meat sandwich, and the meats on this sandwich did not wow me. The sandwich experience as a whole should be greater than the sum of its parts. In this case, the bread and condiments were not enough to elevate this experience.

This was also a very sloppy sandwich. As I mentioned, the bread simply cannot hold the meat and condiments. On the positive side, the proportions of the meat and condiments were good. This is a filling sandwich.

Score: 0.75 out of 2 points

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Given my positive experience with the Potbelly Cubano, I had high hopes for “A Wreck.” While this sandwich wasn’t a train wreck, it did underwhelm me. The quality of the meat is crucial for a meat-forward sandwich, and unfortunately, that’s where the Wreck falls short. Additionally, a sandwich cannot be satisfying with just condiments and bread. Customizing a sandwich can enhance its appeal, but in this instance, it won’t be enough without a better cut of meat. Ultimately, Potbelly offers much better options than this one.