Tradition is the Cornerstone of Delicatessens

Tevye the milkman sings about it in Fiddler on the Roof and operators of two of New York’s most famous delicatessens point to it as key to their success. Tradition!

Established in 1888 by a Russian family on the lower east side, Katz’s Delicatessen has enjoyed legendary status for three centuries. “If I could choose one deli to take with me, it would be Katz’s,” George Burns once declared.

Younger generations recall the deli’s appearance in “When Harry Met Sally” and other films, but Katz’s Delicatessen became synonymous with the slogan, “Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army™” during World War II when the owners were sending tasty slices of home to their three sons serving in the armed forces.
 
But what do slogans and notoriety on the big screen have to do with pastrami, brisket, tongue and latkes? Katz’s successful ingredient lies with the time consuming, labor intensive process of meat preparation that it has used for hundreds of years. Its methods of smoking, pickling, spicing and curing predate the refrigerator and set it apart. 

“We actually fabricate many of our products here on site,” Executive Chef Ken Kohn explains. “We get bushels of cucumbers to make our own pickles. A prime example is our corned beef. Most corned beef that restaurants serve has gone through a pump and injection method….We actually corn our briskets the old fashioned way. We keep about 25,000 pounds of brisket in stainless steel tanks soaking in our recipe. It takes 30 days for the process to complete. With the pump and injection method, you have a finished product in less than 24 hours.”

Adhering to tradition results in better flavors and attracts loyal and repeat customers including chefs Alain Ducasse, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and others. Serving quality products that folks regard as familiar and reliable keeps Katz’s booming. “The economy has only helped our business as people have tended toward comfort food, a place they remember from their youth or just like going to places that just keep doing the right thing, not some fad that fades quickly,” Kohn adds.

Sandy Levine, owner of NYC Carnegie™ Deli also says that the country’s dismal economy has in no way impacted his thriving landmark. Established in 1937 as a 40-seat restaurant on Seventh Ave. at 55^th Street, the deli also has locations at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, Six Flags in New Jersey and the Sands Casino in Pennsylvania. Although the deli has its share of fame—its walls are filled with celebrity, athlete and dignitary fans — quality products entice the crowds. 

“The name of the game is consistency, consistency and consistency,” Levine says of Carnegie’s food. All meats are pickled, smoked and cured at their plant in Carlstadt, New Jersey, where their popular cheesecakes are baked.

Other menu items — knishes, matzoh ball soup and stuffed cabbage — appeal to a range of customers and Levine notes the presence of salads, fish platters and turkey burgers as healthier options.

But it’s the “Broadway Danny Rose” and pastrami sandwiches, piled high with at least one pound of meat, that make the deli fanatics line up.

“We don’t have specials. We have no advertising budget. We spend the money on high-quality meats and things like whipped cream for our cakes. We’re family owned and operated and have never changed our philosophy or way of doing business,” Levine says. 

Loyal clientele frequent delicatessens for the delicious food but also for their atmosphere of familiarity and community, according to David Sax, author of Save the Deli and a blog of the same name. While researching his book, Sax ate at 150 Jewish delis across the country. A desire to revive the deli culture is his cited mission.

“They cater to baby namings and they cater to funerals and they know their customers at every interval in-between,” Sax says. “No matter the economic advantages of a chain sandwich shop or restaurant, those are the distinct advantages that family-run delicatessens hold and people are willing to pay a premium for that.”

Between their heyday in the 1930s and now, the 2,000 true delicatessens in New York alone have dwindled to a few hundred across the United States. Sax says his mission of “sustainability” for these establishments ties into the root of the word. “If a business is sustainable, it operates in a way that’s healthy in the long term. It’s beyond words like `organic’ and `free range.’ It has to do with a deli’s place in a community. Are they there to make a buck for a few years or have they established themselves as a presence that should last for generations? Delis that are opened as concepts or investment vehicles miss this, and tend to fade rather quickly.”

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