The Inner-Workings of an NYC Deli
“Ever since I was young, I would be in my dad's deli, seeing as I lived close and it was better for me to be near my parents than by myself or with a babysitter. My parents would work the cash register and have me in my carriage, just watching them as they worked their 18-hour shifts.”
As New Yorkers, many of us know the staying power and meaningful nature of delis, whether it be to grab a quick bite of needed items for the home like rice, beans, or oil. But many delis have become more than just a place to grab needed items. Many of us have almost family-like relationships with the delis close to us or right in front of our homes with me. It gets a little more literal seeing as my dad owns a deli, and in this article, I'll be getting into the intimate nature of a deli's owners and what it takes to keep up the work of a deli.
Ever since I was young, I would be in my dad's deli, seeing as I lived close and it was better for me to be near my parents than by myself or with a babysitter. My parents would work the cash register and have me in my carriage, just watching them as they worked their 18-hour shifts. As I got older, I started to actually do some work here and there, collecting the supplies, packing them into our car, putting them up on their shelves, applying the prices, and finally, some of my first instances of using math in real life came from being in front of the cash register and serving the customers.
But as I've gotten older, I've realized the differences between being the son of someone who owns a deli, which makes me different from some of my peers but also similar to some of my other peers. On the one hand, I am the son of an immigrant father who picked himself up by his bootstraps and now owns his own business. This is relatable to a few, but I have seen the similarities in me and others who were kind of made to work at a younger age in order to help out and gain some work ethic as far as my other peers. I've noticed I don't worry about things like the price of a sandwich and more because I've never needed to, which allows me to see how privileged I am.
Now for the most important part: the merchandise. As far as getting items delivered, trucks of Boars Head items come to serve us with different types of meat: ham, honey turkey, sausalito, and more. The same goes for chips and ice cream; they all come from certain vendors that follow a route to get to us and, most likely, other delis for more grocery-style items like cereal, ramen, cookies, and more. As far as buying items ourselves, we go to local providers, Triple A and Jetro. Jetro has all the ingredients you would need to basically find essential things, like bananas, plantains, Pocky, and even kitchen add-ons to make salad bars. Triple A is where we find pills for headaches and colds like Aspirins and the like, but we can also buy soda in bulk and other miscellaneous items. Items such as alcohol we buy in between the Bronx and Manhattan depending on price and quantity.
A lot of people believe that as a small or local business, we make up the prices of the items that we sell, but we must go through the process of looking at the receipt of the items we bought, looking at the price we bought them at, and making it a fair price for customers. Nothing too high that's unreasonable, but nothing too low that wouldn't lead to us making a profit. And speaking of profit, the employees, some who are new and some who've been working since I was born, are paid hourly, like any other job, around 17 dollars an hour. I've asked my dad if he adjusts for inflation and other potential oddities, and he's answered yes; the expenses are paid in cash or check. As far as the community and how they treat us, and vice versa, I'd say the relationship is mutually beneficial and generally positive. I say mutually beneficial because we need them in order for business to run, and we're needed to provide certain items at a reasonable price, not to mention nearby. Being a part of the community has been something that I believe just grew naturally, as my dad has been in business for over 30 years. People were bound to create relationships with him and with people in the communities.
One of the largest parts of growing for me is the realization that the deli is going to be part of my future. Having grown up outside and inside the deli, I deal with being known in the community and making sure the things I do inside and outside are going to be seen as a reflection of not only the deli but my parents, who are also known within the community as I've grown up. I've had to realize that no matter what, my life will be connected with the deli and probably with me running the deli, which has affected me in the way that I still don't fully know what I want to do. I know I can always rely on running the deli, which is a luxury I'm happy to have, but I realize not everyone has it, which will affect me. I will run the deli, making sure that no matter how the economy goes in the future, I'll do my best to keep items affordable and hopefully grow the business enough to help out the community with giveaways and sponsoring local events like food drives and such.