If you’ve never heard of Potbelly Sandwich Shop, don’t worry. You will.
This rapidly expanding chain has nearly 450 restaurants in 32 states — 11 of them scattered around Florida — and it has plans to reach 2,000 locations by 2032. It aims to compete in a crowded space that’s dominated by Subway, Jimmy John’s, Jersey Mike’s and Firehouse Subs. And it’s coming in a big way to the Orlando market and the Space Coast.
Founded in 1977 in Chicago, Potbelly is known for its signature toasted subs. Brevard County attorney AJ Erickson grew up in Chicago and routinely visited the original Potbelly location there after school, sparking a lifelong love for the chain. Now he and his father plan to open six Potbelly locations on the Space Coast, with their first restaurant slated to open by next September. While exact locations haven’t been announced yet, they’re looking at cities and communities like Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Viera North, Viera South and Palm Bay.
Meanwhile, another franchisee group plans to open a dozen Potbellies in the Orlando market. Their first one launched last year in Orlando, and two more will open soon in Orlando and Winter Park, with future locations planned for Kissimmee and Maitland.
HIGHER EDUCATION
- The University of Central Florida announced that it has achieved “preeminent” status, which could mean receiving additional funding from the state. UCF joins the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida International University and the University of South Florida in earning this status. Universities seeking this status are graded on 13 criteria including graduation rates and the amount of research dollars they attract.
AEROSPACE
- NASA has awarded a $1.8-billion, five-year contract in support of its Artemis moon-landing program to Cape Canaveral-based Ascend Aerospace & Technology, a joint venture of Florida-based engineering firm Aerodyne Industries and Texas-based Jacobs Technology. The Contract for Organization Spaceflight Mission Operations and Systems, or COSMOS, will provide support to NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which is designed to carry humanity back to the Moon.
TOURISM
- The Wizard of Oz Museum, a popular tourist attraction in Cape Canaveral, has abandoned plans to move to Orlando and is instead moving to Cocoa Beach. The Cape Canaveral location is slated to stay open through mid-2026. (The museum was profiled in FLORIDA TREND in March 2025.)
DEFENSE
- Serious Simulations, based in the Orlando suburb of Oviedo, has won a $28-million contract with the U.S. Army to produce simulated grenades and mines for training purposes. It plans to double its workforce.
AIRLINES
- United Airlines is adding 15 new flights out of Orlando International Airport to its winter schedule, including new round-trip flights to Chicago, Houston and Newark beginning Jan. 6. It’s adding flights partly because competitor Spirit Airlines is going bankrupt. “If Spirit suddenly goes out of business, it will be incredibly disruptive,” United said in a press release.
HEALTH CARE
- Health First is more than doubling the number of beds at its Viera Hospital near Melbourne. The expansion of the 98-bed hospital will add a five-story patient tower, bringing the number of beds to 214.
- Heather Fagan has been named chair of the Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief for Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. She’ll also serve as Chair of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine — Nemours Children’s Health Department of Pediatrics.
GROCERIES
- In an effort to compete with Publix, Walmart and Kroger’s delivery service, Winn-Dixie is joining forces with Amazon to deliver groceries to customers’ homes in Orlando and Jacksonville. It’s making 16,000 grocery items available on Amazon, including goods from its SE Grocers store brand.
JOBS
- CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia, an agency that helps job seekers find employment, is closing its Rockledge office due to federal funding cuts. The closure won’t affect its other career centers in Daytona Beach, Orange City, Palm Bay, Palm Coast, Titusville and Patrick Space Force Base.
ARTS
- Leslie Anderson has been appointed executive director of the Rollins Museum of Art. Anderson previously was chief curator at Seattle’s National Nordic Museum and was curator of European, American and Regional Art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
- Osceola Arts, a nonprofit venue in Kissimmee that stages plays, will shut down during its 2025-26 season as its aging building undergoes a $16 million renovation.
BROADBAND
- Wire 3, a fiber-optic internet provider based in Daytona Beach, has closed on a private credit financing totaling $235 million, arranged by Guggenheim Investments. Together, with commitments from Oak Hill Capital, the company has raised more than $550 million, accelerating Wire 3’s commitment to expanding the fiber-optic internet infrastructure in seven Central Florida counties.
IN MEMORIAM
“ Only some of the stories are true." — Ron DiMenna, the colorful and publicity-shy founder of Ron Jon Surf Shop, based in Cocoa Beach. DiMenna, who had a home on Merritt Island, died in September at the age of 88.
New Leadership
Lake-Sumter State College, which has campuses in Leesburg, Clermont, Sumterville and the Four Corners area, has named state Rep. John P. Temple (R-The Villages) as its eighth president. A political ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, he was previously the college’s vice president of workforce programs. Temple joins a growing list of former lawmakers leading state colleges and universities.
Viral Toys
Pop Mart, the Chinese company that makes Labubu toys, is opening its first Florida store at the Florida Mall in Orlando and its second store at the Altamonte Mall. It also has a Labubu toy “roboshop,” or vending machine, at Dolphin Mall in Miami.