I ordered the same turkey sandwich from Subway and Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and I preferred the cheaper option

From Subway, I ordered a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mustard, mayo, and oil, as well as a bottled soda and a bag of chips to complete the meal.

The foot-long sandwich came to $11.89. When combined with the other items, my total meal came to $17.17, not including taxes and fees. 

I decided to compare the sandwiches alone since I couldn't order the same drink or chips from both chains.

I ordered my sandwich on multigrain bread.

I thought the sandwich was a good size for the price.

It looked promising — I could see the mustard and mayonnaise spilling from the side of the sandwich.

The 6-inch sub would have been more than enough to satisfy me for lunch, but I was happy the sandwich was large enough to split with a friend or for me to save the other half for later.

Inside the sandwich, the layers of meat, cheese, and toppings were laid out methodically.

It definitely looked like a lot of care went into crafting the sandwich to ensure that each bite contained all of the ingredients.

Overall, I was impressed by the turkey sandwich from Subway and liked the ratio of all the ingredients.

As I predicted, I could taste every part of the sandwich in each bite. The ingredients, especially the lettuce, tasted fresh, though I thought the tomato slices could have been a little thicker.

There was a lot of sauce slathered on the sandwich, which I liked, and the mustard added a lot of flavor. 

However, I thought the bread felt on the lighter side and didn't have a lot of flavor to it.

I ordered the same sandwich from Potbelly Sandwich Shop, plus chips and a drink.

The sandwich came to $13.69, making it a little more expensive than the sandwich from Subway.

I also added chips and a drink, so the entire meal cost $21.57, putting it at $4 more than Subway's.

Despite being the same price, the turkey sandwich from Potbelly was smaller than the one from Subway.

The two sandwiches couldn't have looked more different. Whereas the Subway sandwich (pictured left) came on flat-looking multigrain bread, the bread Potbelly used was crusty and appeared to be of a higher quality.

I couldn't see sauce spilling from the sides of the Potbelly sandwich, but I could see large slices of onion and tomato.

I was excited to see how the actual taste of the sandwiches would compare.

The inside of the Potbelly sandwich definitely looked a lot less organized than the one from Subway.

The ingredients were laid out less methodically, and I worried that each bite wouldn't include all the ingredients at once, which is what I prefer.

Though the sandwich was smaller, I thought the Potbelly turkey sandwich was slightly more dense and each bite more filling due to the thick, crusty bread.

There was also a generous serving of lettuce, onions, and tomato that really helped make the sandwich stand out. However, I thought it was a little light on the sauce — I couldn't really taste the mayonnaise or mustard.

Overall, I was impressed by both turkey sandwiches. However, if I was only going to order one again, I would probably stick with Subway.

The sandwich delivered on price, size, and flavor — and I loved how they weren't afraid to hold back on the sauces.