Pot Belly Deli now open after relocation, grand opening events to come

The Pot Belly Deli officially reopened on Feb. 27 following expansion and relocation and will hold several grand opening events during the weekend of March 7-9.

The deli relocated from its downtown Clemson location to a larger building at 373 Old Greenville Highway.

Matthew Morton and Michael Alterman, the deli’s two co-owners, sat down with The Tiger for an interview last week.

“We’re excited about a bigger facility, better access, better visibility,” Alterman told The Tiger. “We’re rushing to get the doors open because we’ve had a lot to do with this build-out.”

The team only kept three walls of the original building that the deli relocated to, which was a 60-year-old automotive building that was “falling apart” and an “eyesore,” according to Alterman. The team worked with a general contractor to push the front of the building back, creating a covered front patio with seasonal seating, picnic tables and a front yard.

The new location is around 3,200 square feet. The old downtown Clemson location was roughly 2,000 square feet with a sunroom that they “never used,” Morton told The Tiger. The team’s goal is to bring the same eclectic feel and nostalgia of the last location to the new one. They are looking forward to being in a new, clean, efficient, comfortable and up-to-date facility.

The team believes that “they’ve made pretty good time” regarding construction from closing in November to opening at the end of February, Morton said.

Further, the deli is planning a grand opening weekend event from March 7-9.

On Friday, March 7, Pot Belly Deli will offer a 50% discount off meals for city of Clemson employees, including city officials, sanitation department employees, firefighters, police officers and more.

“We want to take care of them,” Morton told The Tiger.

The deli is then partnering with ClemsonLIFE to put on an event on March 8. Morton noted that the two organizations have partnered in the past and that the team is excited to do more with them in the future.

Additionally, Pot Belly Deli will donate a portion of the proceeds from the entire weekend of March 7-9 to ClemsonLIFE. The percentage of proceeds has not been decided yet, as it will depend on how sales go over the weekend, Morton said.

On Sunday, March 9, the deli will host several basketball players from Clemson’s men’s basketball team.

“There’s no guarantee, but we’ve had several other local Clemson legends, particularly ones that still work and live in Clemson, that have expressed that they would like to come by as well,” Alterman told The Tiger.

Several employees have been with the company for a long time and were paid even when the deli was closed over the past few months. The deli also has several student employees, including a ClemsonLIFE student named Kevin, and are looking to hire more.

“They’re loyal to us. We will stay loyal to them,” Morton said. “We love the students.”

Additionally, the deli has purchased multiple food trailers that they are hoping to start running in the next couple of months. These food trailers will sell not only classic Pot Belly Deli sandwiches but also potentially ice cream, shaved ice and more. Morton intends to park the trailers at a property he owns downtown for special events or game days.

“They’re just another extension of how we’re bringing Pot Belly to you,” Morton said.

The deli also added a couple of sandwiches to the menu and is hoping to begin implementing a type of “sandwich of the month” feature.

“We have some local legends/celebrities that will participate in helping name the sandwiches,” Morton told The Tiger. This naming system will also be inspired by regular customers who order particular combinations that aren’t necessarily on the menu.

“In all honesty, we just need to get open and work out the kinks in the new location, so to speak, before we start with some of these new programmatic things we plan on doing,” Alterman said.

The Pot Belly Deli’s team is proud of what they have accomplished during the past 30 years with their old location and are excited for the next 30 years at the new one.

The deli is open for breakfast and lunch from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day except Tuesday.