The Owner Of Katz's Deli Is Not Who You'd Expect
Jake Dell is not a Katz, but he is in charge of the iconic New York deli that bears the name. "I usually just respond to Mr. Katz at this point," he laughs. "There's no difference." For all intents and purposes, Dell is a Katz. His grandfather was an original partner in Katz's Delicatessen, and when his father and uncle took over, it became his everyday, too. "There are a lot of staff members from the store who've been with us 20, 30, 40 years, who definitely remember me in diapers," Dell says.
When he was old enough, Dell earned his keep by the door, handing out tickets, (pro tip: never lose your ticket) then working various other jobs in the restaurant as he grew. Recently, he became the owner. That's right: At 30 years old, he's at the helm of a nearly 130-year-old business. "The comments were, 'Don't f*ck this up.'," Dell recalls of his first few months as boss.
Katz's has built a following on its reliability. The Lower East Side spot does few things - deli meats, matzoh balls, latkes - and it does them well, hence the worries that Dell might screw them up. But hasn't changed the food; he's just made it easier to get.
In 2017, Katz's expanded for the very first time. It didn't go far - just across the East River to Brooklyn. The deli opened a tiny outpost called A Taste Of Katz in Dekalb Market Hall. It's stripped of some of the things locals and tourists have come to associate with Katz's - a sprawling butcher's counter, the "I'll have what she's having table" made famous by When Harry Met Sally - but not completely devoid of charm. There are still pictures all over the walls of celebrities and notable diners, and the sandwich slingers are as to-the-point as they are in Manhattan.
They're not trying to be curt, it's just that you can't dilly-dally when you reach a Katz's counter. You have to know your order. There's a 99 percent chance a long line is forming behind you. "It's really all about explaining what you want," Dell says as he shares some intel, like the fact that juicy, or fatty, pastrami always tastes better than the lean stuff. "Thats the secret code of deli," he continues. "We rely on you to yell at us. This is New York. We're used to it."
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