Opening A Local Deli Is A Lot Harder Than It Looks
It was nine o’clock in the morning when I finally started to head to my interview. As I got into my Honda Civic, I drove on Interstate 78 on a crisp fall day. Speeding by cars and tractor trailers, I finally reached the highway exit and drove to the small town of Emmaus, where small businesses dominate the local economic competition. After circling the town square, I finally found a parking space and headed towards my destination; Pedone’s Deli. As I opened the door, fifty-three year old owner Liz Pedone greeted me behind the counter. You can see behind the counter where the employees make the meals, as well as a complimentary coffee station, with different kinds of roasts. There were an assortment of fresh deli meats on sale, as well as meats from Boar’s Head. The space is relatively small, …show more content…
She previously worked as a manager at 7-11 as a teenager, while attending business classes on the side. When she eventually moved to Pennsylvania, she worked as a cleaning lady for several years, saving money in order to open up her own small business. Her dream came to fruition in the winter of 2015, when she finally received the funds to open up Pedone’s Deli. Her Long Island roots influenced her to open a deli in rural Pennsylvania. “The 7-11 I worked in was surrounded by five delis.” Pedone’s deli, however, is the only deli running in Emmaus. One of the main reasons of opening a New York style deli in Pennsylvania is based entirely on increasing demographics. “We heard that a lot of people moved here from New York, New Jersey, and Staten Island, and within five years about 50,000 families moved into the area. This type of deli is what you would find in New York City or Long Island.” This is uncommon for the Lehigh Valley, where Emmaus is located, but that does not mean that the town has a diverse business scene like New York
It was nine o’clock in the morning when I finally started to head to my interview. As I got into my Honda Civic, I drove on Interstate 78 on a crisp fall day. Speeding by cars and tractor trailers, I finally reached the highway exit and drove to the small town of Emmaus, where small businesses dominate the local economic competition. After circling the town square, I finally found a parking space and headed towards my destination; Pedone’s Deli. As I opened the door, fifty-three year old owner Liz Pedone greeted me behind the counter. You can see behind the counter where the employees make the meals, as well as a complimentary coffee station, with different kinds of roasts. There were an assortment of fresh deli meats on sale, as well as meats from Boar’s Head. The space is relatively small, …show more content…
She previously worked as a manager at 7-11 as a teenager, while attending business classes on the side. When she eventually moved to Pennsylvania, she worked as a cleaning lady for several years, saving money in order to open up her own small business. Her dream came to fruition in the winter of 2015, when she finally received the funds to open up Pedone’s Deli. Her Long Island roots influenced her to open a deli in rural Pennsylvania. “The 7-11 I worked in was surrounded by five delis.” Pedone’s deli, however, is the only deli running in Emmaus. One of the main reasons of opening a New York style deli in Pennsylvania is based entirely on increasing demographics. “We heard that a lot of people moved here from New York, New Jersey, and Staten Island, and within five years about 50,000 families moved into the area. This type of deli is what you would find in New York City or Long Island.” This is uncommon for the Lehigh Valley, where Emmaus is located, but that does not mean that the town has a diverse business scene like New York