Image courtesy Chewish Deli
Some food venues that were well-positioned to offer carry-out food, like the Chewish Deli, have ridden a wave of success this year.
In fact, the Chewish Deli has seen so much success that the NY-style bagel truck will be able to open its first permanent location, here in Alexandria, in the coming weeks.
Chewish Deli owner Gregg Linzey says that the increase in business during the pandemic was because they were already offering to-go orders, delivery, and online ordering long before contactless service became the safest way to operate.
“The fact that people were quarantined and focused on carry-out and delivery made us very successful very early,” Linzey said. “Because as a food truck, we are carry-out and delivery by design.”
Chewish Deli
This spring, Chewish Deli was parking the truck in residential areas and selling out of bagels in a couple of hours.
Even with business doing well, Gregg didn't plan on opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant quite so soon. The Chewish Deli had started as a weekend pop-up in Old Town in 2018.
This past December, he began working towards changing the brand of Chewish Deli, and his new food truck first went out March 14 — right when the pandemic started changing everyone’s daily routines.
When Linzey stumbled upon the Pendleton Carryout Co. space for sale this summer at 807 Pendleton St., he wasn’t exactly looking for a store location. But, Linzey knew that if a spot in Old Town ever opened up, he would want to take it.
“I started the business in Old Town initially, and I wanted to be back in Old Town,” Linzey said. “Part of my goal is to be part of the fabric of the neighborhood. This is where I consider home at this point.”
The day after he saw the space, he began negotiations, and the planning for opening a carry-out only store became reality.
From Linzey’s knowledge and passion for the carry-out business model, you might think it was his plan all along. However, his original vision was to recreate the comfort of a New York Jewish sit-down deli, much like the ones he went to as a kid.
“It brings so much community,” Linzey said about the purpose of those delis. “My original vision had places to sit down and have conversation, hang out with friends and enjoy their meal there. But you know that changed.”
While the carry-out specific business model has provided much success during these current times, Chewish Deli was not able to fully avoid the effect of the pandemic.
One of their biggest hurdles was when the food truck was out of commission for a couple months after an accident. They needed a new part to repair the truck, but the manufacture and distributors were experiencing delays as the pandemic has caused them to reduce capacity and fall behind on orders. The truck wasn't back on the road until September, forcing them to find different distribution locations.
It was also difficult for Chewish Deli to get a business loan from the bank, despite having had a successful first few months of operating the truck.
“Banks were basically like, ‘We are not lending to restaurants right now. Until COVID is under control, we are not lending to restaurants — that is not even an option,’” Linzey said.
They were able to use some of the business' savings to pay for the costs of getting equipment like an oven for the shop. With everything coming together as far as equipment and possible coffee shop partnership, Linzey hopes the restaurant will be open by the end of the month.
The shop has also allowed for Linzey, a proud previous Massachusetts resident, to show more of his Red Sox pride with a Red Socks poster on the wall.
“So when people are donning their Yankees apparel when they come in to get their bagels, they can look at the beautiful Red Sox décor on the wall,” Linzey said.
For updates about the restaurant and where you can find the truck, follow Chewish Deli on Facebook or Instagram.
More information on the new permanent outpost is available at chewishdeli.com.
