by ELIZABETH METSCH, Contributor
Best Deli has been loved by generations of Jaspers and has become an integrated part of the Manhattan College culture and experience. With that said, there was rumor that Best Deli would be shut down by the Workers Compensation Board of New York.
Best Deli manager Joseph Alammari is putting those rumors to rest.
“We just renovated. We’re not closing any time soon,” he said.
And so, the rumor stands corrected. After returning from winter break, students were welcomed to a new and larger floor plan, and more choices at the deli.
“More people can wait and move around. Before, it was tight and it made it uncomfortable to stand. We have more shelves and can sell more things,” Alammari said.
Kayla Grimme, a student at Manhattan College commented on the topic.
“Best Deli is a staple of Broadway and if it ever actually closed I think a lot of students, myself included, would be devastated,” said Grimme.
Grimme, a senior member of the Women’s Basketball team, is relieved that Best Deli will remain open.
“They can close whenever they want, I just hope they stick it out the rest of my senior year,” she said.
Emilia Rodriguez, a freshman who lives in Horan, joked that if Best Deli closed she’d transfer, but quickly followed with, “If they did close I’d be very upset, honestly,” she said.
It’s safe to safe students are happy to know the beloved Best Deli isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The renovation does show a commitment to the location and the customers. When you come in, there’s better lighting and the overall layout seems more inviting. Overall, it’s a better shopping experience because you can see everything on the shelves and the entirety of what the deli has to offer.
They’ve made other additions beyond the renovation.
“What we do now is you can create your own sandwich and build it as you wish. I think it’s pretty good because if we don’t have it on the menu, we can still make it for you,” Alammari said.
If the sandwich becomes popular, it will be added to the deli’s official menu. “The Boomer”, “The RA Dorian” and “The Downey” were all made by students and can be found on the menu today. They hope to expand this offer to more students who can create a sandwich for all to enjoy.
Students seem to think this new idea is a great one.
“Best Deli now has the convenience of creating your own sandwich, which is fabulous. I don’t always want a predetermined sandwich and sometimes I like to switch things up,” said Cheyenne Pirrone.
Pironne, a junior at Manhattan College, lives in Lee Hall and enjoys Best Deli for its convenience and proximity to campus. “[The Create Your Own Sandwich Campaign] is a brilliant move on their part, because now they have seemingly unlimited menu options,” she said.
Best Deli has hit the ground running in 2018 with a new layout, design and menu options. While there may have been speculation about the deli closing, it seems to be here stay.