POTBELLY
150 EAST 44 STREET, Manhattan, NY 10017 · Restaurant (Sandwiches)
Inspection summary
POTBELLY has been inspected 4 times by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) since March 29, 2023. The most recent inspection, on August 1, 2025, recorded 2 infractions.
None of the 4 inspections on record were free of infractions. No inspections are on record from the past 12 months. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Cleaning and sanitizing and Protecting food from contamination.
The number of infractions per inspection has stayed roughly the same over time.
What these findings mean
Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.
Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk
Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on August 1, 2025. For example:
Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk
This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.
Recorded once on June 11, 2024. For example:
Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
Equipment and utensilsLower risk
Equipment has to be built from cleanable materials, kept in good repair and stored properly. These findings are mostly about upkeep, like a cracked shelf, a worn gasket or utensils stored the wrong way. They are generally lower risk but show how well the kitchen is maintained.
Recorded 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on August 1, 2025. For example:
Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
Food safety training and certificationLower risk
Most jurisdictions require a certified food handler or manager on site, and some require allergen or food-worker training. These findings mean the paperwork or the trained person was missing at the time. They do not by themselves mean food was handled unsafely.
Recorded once on March 29, 2023. For example:
20-08: Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information
Other findingsLower risk
Findings that do not fit the categories above, such as follow-ups that confirm an earlier violation was corrected, or requirements specific to this type of facility.
Recorded once on March 29, 2023. For example:
19-10: Failure to display required signage about plastic straw availability.
About this data
These results come from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.
4 inspections
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 09C: Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
- Not Critical
- 10F: Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
- Not Critical
- 09C: Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Critical
- 10F: Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
- Not Critical
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Administrative Miscellaneous / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 19-10: Failure to display required signage about plastic straw availability.
- Not Critical
- 20-08: Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information
- Not Critical
- 19-10: Failure to display required signage about plastic straw availability.
- Pre-permit (Operational) / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 10F: Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
- Not Critical
- 09C: Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
- Not Critical
- 10F: Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
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