Musicians may not be on the menu, but customers during the dinner rush at Potbelly Sandwich Works in downtown College Park can enjoy them with their sandwiches and milkshakes anyway.

College Park’s Potbelly, like all of the franchise stores in 10 states and Washington, features live music to create a festive atmosphere, according to College Park Potbelly employee Bill Stutzman, a senior criminology and criminal justice major. But most of the hundreds of customers who file in and out of the eatery between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday are indifferent to the musicians, the majority of whom are university students who play acoustic guitar.

“The crowd response is usually lackluster,” said Andrew Ortuzar, a senior English major who plays guitar and makes sandwiches. “They don’t care that you’re playing, and I’ve never been applauded.”

The local Potbelly now employs about seven or eight musicians but is always willing to audition new acts, said an assistant manager who declined to give his name due to company policy. Musicians get paid $15 an hour, Ortuzar said, and they perform using one microphone on a small stage in a back corner of the restaurant.

Most students, though, said they didn’t notice the musicians at all.

“I didn’t know the musician would be here,” said Bentley Greber, a senior psychology major. “It doesn’t really bother me though.”

Some students said they enjoyed the background noise, but admitted that it did not add a great effect to their Potbelly experience.

“I guess I like the music, but I’m really just indifferent to it,” said Fumie Takahashi, a senior kinesiology major.

Nevertheless, Ortuzar said he plays the “hits of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and today” and has made one fan: a baby who sits close to the stage with his mother every Thursday and stares at Ortuzar.

“One time, he even knew the song I was playing, and though he couldn’t talk, he was humming along,” Ortuzar said.

Anthony Huling, a freshman government and politics major who has been performing his original work and contemporary rock covers at the restaurant for a little over a month, said although the crowd usually does not acknowledge his music, he has gained a few fans.

“I love the atmosphere, and I think I can definitely build a fan base from this gig,” Huling said.

arush@umd.edu