Metro today announced an agreement with Potbelly Sandwich Shop to lease 2,300 square feet of prime retail space on the ground floor of Metro’s L’Enfant Plaza headquarters. The opening, expected this fall, will add to the area’s revitalization, which is creating a more active street with vibrant storefront restaurants and retail stores.
The iconic 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 Metro employees and the local community with a new, convenient food option that promises fresh, fast and friendly service in an environment that reflects the neighborhood.
Metro moved into its new L’Enfant Plaza headquarters in 2022, after renovating the former Reporter’s Building at 300 Seventh Street SW. 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 our Metro employees,” says 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 1300 to 2400 square feet. The area is easily accessible with five of Metro’s six rail lines – Blue, Orange, Silver, Green and Yellow – serving L’Enfant Plaza as well as Metrobus and Circulator service.
The addition of Potbelly, as well as 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, fresh baked cookies, hearty soups, fresh made salads and hand-dipped shakes. Since opening its first shop in Chicago in 1977, Potbelly has expanded to neighborhoods across the country, with more than 340 company-owned shops in the United States. Additionally, Potbelly franchisees operate 80 shops in the United States.
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 The old, outdated headquarters at the Jackson Graham Building was sold in a ground lease and is being redeveloped.
In 2022, Metro launched a 10-year Strategic Plan for Joint Development and is an industry leader in creating mixed-use transit-oriented projects across the region. 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.
Metro is being represented by CBRE as the Landlord’s broker in the Potbelly agreement, and the lease of future retail space.
