Want to own a popular Memphis brand? Holiday Deli & Ham Co. to be sold at auction

Here's your chance to own one of Memphis' favorite restaurant brands.

Holiday Deli & Ham Co. will be sold at auction on Oct. 26. The brand has been a popular casual dining spot for 30 years.

"I would love more than anything for someone to keep this family business going," owner Trey Jordan said.

The brand (which consists of two restaurants) will be sold by Morris Realty & Auction. Bids are currently being accepted, and the auction closes at noon Oct. 26.

30 years of pimento cheese and ham

Jordan founded Holiday Deli & Ham Co. in 1993 with his father, Don Jordan. This November it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The first restaurant was located at the corner of Poplar and Perkins and started with four sandwiches — Papa's Pimento Cheese (Don's signature recipe), Trey's mother's tuna salad, turkey and ham.

In 1999, the East Memphis restaurant moved to its current location at 585 Erin Drive. That same year, a second location was opened at 7652 Poplar Ave. in Germantown. These two locations are the ones for sale.

Each location is about 4,700 square feet and has approximately 100 seats.

Today, the restaurant is known for its made-to-order signature deli sandwiches and salads, spiral-sliced honey-glazed hams and grab-and-go frozen prepared side dishes. Catering and corporate orders are also a large part of the concept.

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How the auction works

The Holiday Deli & Ham brand will be sold with the existing two locations, the equipment and the recipes. Bidders can purchase both restaurants, or just one.

The goal is to sell the restaurants as an operating business, without any downtime in operations.

"The thing about Holiday Deli is that the purchaser can do whatever they want with the brand — franchise it, open several locations in Memphis ... there is no existing franchise agreement to limit what you can do," Jordan said.

Jordan said he will be available to aid in the transition if the buyer wishes his help.

Jordan admits that the COVID-19 pandemic was tough on his business.

In July, Holiday Ham Holdings LLC (the parent company of the Holiday Deli & Ham Co. and Pimento's Burgers, Bar & Grill) filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

"The company had six stores at one time, and the Chapter 11 filing dropped us to two," Jordan said.

"We know that we are entering our busiest times of year and it’s very profitable so the timing of the sale makes sense that someone would want to buy now and enjoy that revenue," he added.

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Prior to the pandemic, office catering was a large portion of sales for the restaurant group.

"At one time our restaurants were doing $2 million in annual sales. We are seeing sales beginning to grow as some of the bigger employers are asking people to come back to the office," Jordan said. "Our current two stores get the opportunity to add the ham and catering business from our closed store at Union, and we are including catering client lists as part of the sale."

Jordan sold the retail grocery division of his businesses in 2023. He is focusing on helping the new company Pimento's Brands expand into grocery stores across the country. The line currently includes Papa's Pimento Cheese (both the original and the jalapeno) and plans are in the works to expand with what Jordan describes as "other favorite items."

Jordan said selling Holiday Deli is bittersweet.

"30 years has been a long time to do one thing. It's time for me to do something else," he said. "I really think this could be a great opportunity for someone. I really want to see this family brand continue and grow."

For additional information, contact Jeff Morris at Morris Realty & Auction or visit morrisrealtyauction.com.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis restaurant Holiday Deli & Ham Co. put up for auction