#59 - Fresh Flowers

I bought myself fresh flowers for a month... The nice thing was that most of the flowers would survive to the next week, so I could combine bunches and then remove flowers as they died through out the week.

I will keep eating at Potbelly's.

Hello Rachel ~

Thanks for writing to us. We're so happy to hear that you enjoy time spent at our stores. We also appreciate your concern for the environment, as well as the part we play in it. I'm happy to let you know that we do recycle at some of our locations and have our trash separated at others. Unfortunately, there are stores where we are already locked into contracts that don't include recycling. However, we have receptacles built for recycling in our stores for the hopes that when we renew contracts or recycling programs become available in the area, we can switch to include it. Please know that we aim to do our part in becoming more green as a whole. I hope this makes a little more sense.

Book #23 - 1984

I finally read 1984 by George Orwell. It's scary how some of the dire predictions of having a faceless enemy and Big Brother are coming true. I was into this book. I guess I shouldn't have put it off for so long.

#86 - Write a letter to a company

Okay, so technically it was an email:

To Potbelly Sandwich Works:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Yesterday, I was craving a Potbelly sandwich and took some time to figure out where the nearest store was. I drove to the Naperville location to enjoy the food that I love.

Upon arrival, I was greeted with absolute enthusiasm. The place was incredibly busy with many young children, teenagers, and adults. I was extremely happy to see the wide selections of drinks, including IBC & Orangina. It's great that Potbelly's offers such unique drinks rather than the usual soft drink machine. The workers were personable and funny. I was extremely pleased with the service.

I managed to find a seat and was enjoying the activity around me when I realized that the music playing was quite excellent. And then I looked to my left and noticed that there was a man there playing a guitar and singing. It was amazing! I was practically grinning ear-to-ear as I sat enjoying my sandwich and Orangina.

As I got up to leave, I found the trash receptacle. However, I was quite disturbed when it came time for me to throw away the bottle. I asked a young man working whether there was anywhere to recycle and he stated that there wasn't. I debated carrying the bottle with me to my home, but knew I didn't want to carry it through my day of shopping. Instead, I tossed it in with all of the other bottles (glass and plastic) being consumed during this busy lunch hour.

I must say, that as happy as I was to have had a great meal with great atmosphere, I was disheartened that there is no way to recycle all of these containers. I feel that companies such as Potbelly's should be socially-conscious. As seen by my experience yesterday, many children love to eat at the establishments as well. It's a shame that they cannot be taught the importance of recycling through their experiences at your company.

I understand that perhaps financially this is not a very feasible option. Or perhaps there are too many work hours required, but I would love to be able to walk into your restaurants and see containers for recycling.

Thank you for listening. I absolutely adore your food and products. Please consider the message that is sent by not recycling in your many stores throughout the States.

Best regards,

Rachel R. Dorsey