Photo courtesy of Warren Rosenfeld
The deli, which is expected to open at the end of September, will be housed in the former Harvest House location and offer its kosher-style menu staples.
A Delmarva staple is coming to Wilmington.
Since 2013, Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli made its impact on the Ocean City, Maryland community and has since expanded to Rehoboth Beach due to its reputation for delicious Jewish favorites such as kosher-style sandwiches and knishes.
With more locations being a primary goal of the company, its latest partnership will bring Rosenfeld’s to Wilmington, located in the previous Harvest House spot at 1204 N. Washington St. alongside Washington Street Ale House.
The new eatery will open its doors Sept. 30. The deli decided to wait till Sept. 30 to open in respect for the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which are celebrated from Sept. 18 to 28.
The newest home for the deli was pursued when owner Warren Rosenfeld made the decision to partner with Big Fish Restaurant Group. Big Fish plans to take the already successful business and invest in its growth. That includes a foreseeable addition to northern Wilmington once the location on North Washington Street is fully established.
“Big Fish Restaurant Group already had eight or nine or 10 restaurants in Wilmington, and for staffing purposes we felt the best first restaurant or two would be in the Wilmington area. So, we were really hoping to locate in North Wilmington, but Big Fish Restaurant Group already owned the building.” says Rosenfeld.
While the convenience of having a building for the new deli was a positive, it did come with a drawback of minimal space. The limited space has forced the business to minimize the menu to two thirds of their original, but will continue to provide the main favorites that Rosenfeld’s is known for.
The limitations of the menu include the removal of dinner options and some breakfast options. Fans of the Triple Meat Sandwiches will need to prepare to order off the menu.
“Triple Meat Sandwiches we’re not offering again just because of space limitations, people can really get those if they want, they just have to tell them when they order-so they’ll be able to get it but it won’t be on the menu,” he says.
The shop will also close up early– 6 p.m. during the week and 4 p.m. on the weekends.
Photos courtesy of Warren Rosenfeld
The Jewish deli hoped to open the fourth location sooner, at the start of September, however the COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays.
“A lot of our equipment we ordered was delayed, we were waiting for deli cases for much longer than we had anticipated for them. Even now we’re waiting for one or two pieces of equipment, but we’re told that they’ll be in shortly,” Rosenfeld explains.
COVID-19 also prevented any indication of predicting the foot traffic the business will receive once it opens. With many others still working from home instead of traveling to the area for work, the deli finds it difficult to know just how much business to expect upon opening.
However, there are silver linings. If anything, opening the new Rosenfeld’s has allowed for more time to efficiently train new crew members in “perfecting their craft.”
“We had no trouble finding help, we had no trouble finding our additional brand manager for the expansion, and we’re pretty clear with all of that,” Rosenfeld says.
