If one were to walk along Queens Boulevard in Rego Park for the past 70 years, one would continually see the red and white sign of Ben’s Best Delicatessen. At first sight, Ben’s Best Deli looks like any other deli, a medium sized space with the employees cutting meats and preparing your food right in front of you. As you walk into the restaurant, on the left is a cashier station with a deli counter as men of mixed ages are skillfully cutting meats. The back consists of the dining area where the waiters greet you and take your order on a tablet. Awards and pictures line the light wooden walls. This seems like a typical restaurant, but this little restaurant has a big history, and even bigger pursuits.

Ben’ Best was first founded in the Bronx by owner, Benjamin Parker. However, the store moved to Rego Park in 1945. After the passing of Ben in 1984, his son, Jay Parker, took over at the age of 33.  Although this wasn’t Jay’s first choice of profession, his passion for the business shows. When it comes to his food, Mr. Parker’s meals are seeped in tradition. For example, the matzo ball soup they serve is his ancestors recipes of 100+ years. In general, owning a Jewish Deli means embracing one’s culture and sharing it with others. While Ben’s Best values it also understands that some things need to evolve in order to stay in business.

Years ago, one may have walked along New York City and found a kosher delicatessen every few blocks, but today, less than twenty-five remain. In 2009, Ben’s Best was featured in an articles on NPR called “A Mission to Save Real Jewish Deli’s, A Dying Breed”. The article dives into the idea that Jewish deli’s serve “first and foremost…the foods of the Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews.” Writer of Save the Deli explains that there are many places like diners and fast food restaurants like Arby’s that serve Jewish foods like pastrami, but they all lack authenticity.

Another article in the New York Times titled, “At Jewish Delis, Times Are as Lean as Good Corned Beef” also talks about this phenomenon. The article details the demise of Jewish deli’s arguing that one of the factors include cost. A quality cured corned beef and pastrami cut by a master cutter cost more than an average $7 sandwich. Whereas pastrami sandwiches in Jewish deli’s can cost up to $16 and more in the city. Ben’s Best owner touched upon this idea that going to a delicatessen that cures their own meat is “not for the budget minded customer”. It seems that today, many customers prefer mass production and low prices to local stores and quality.

So how did Ben’s Best continue to thrive? Mr. Parker states, “As the market shrank [deli’s] were ill prepared to make the changes necessary to remain. As we saw the market change we put together a 5, 10 and 15-year marketing plan.” Jay learned that the best way to survive would be to expand. They began to cater weddings, Bar-Mitzvahs, and birthday parties. They even ship out-of state and air freight. They set up a local delivery system and invested in media advertising. The deli was then able to grab attention from media outlets, including the TV show, “Diner’s Drive-Ins, and Dives” and an appearance on the documentary “Deli Man.”

There are also obstacles that are beyond the owner’s power to control, like city regulations. When it comes to managing that, he found it best to hire consultants to help him keep up with new codes. Jay explains, “the cost of administration is now a budgetary item, and is used in the pricing matrix.” By widening their customer base and seeking help outside the food industry, Ben’ Best shows other Jewish deli’s that they can still thrive.

Along the walls of Ben’s Best are pictures of Rego Park detailing the foundation of the roads and the stores years ago. Today, Rego Park has transformed into a neighborhood with a plethora of stores, ranging from ethnic restaurants to family run jewelry stores to the typical chain stores as well as apartment buildings. Throughout this 70 years of change, Ben’s Best has seen it all.

In terms of the stores around Rego Park, it is very clear that the local business stores are beginning to be swapped with franchise stores. However, Ben’s Best owner, Jay Parker, doesn’t seem too worried about outside competition. He states, “Subway offers a price point, not a product. Take one of their $5.00 sandwiches apart and weigh the protein you are getting. Then buy a $14.95 sandwich at Ben’s Best and see where the value lies. Ours offers 8 ounces of premium quality kosher corned beef.” Mr. Parker stresses the idea of quality. Franchises might have more products for less value, but that is not always what the customer needs.

Nevertheless, there are some local storefronts that aren’t as fortunate. Pictures of Queens Boulevard in 1980 depict a bustling street filled with local stores. Around Ben’s Best stores like the Button Hole, a flower shop, a video store, and more. Today, stores such as Radio Shack, Sleepy’s, Applebees replace local stores like these. Thirty years ago a local department store, Alexander’s, was home to Rego Park. Now, that building is filled with chain stores like Marshalls, Sears, and Old Navy. Among these chain stores, local businesses do exist. For example, a local pharmacy resides on Queens Boulevard for over a year. Although, there is a large Rite Aid right across from the pharmacy, the owner explains that local businesses can give more to a customer than a chain store can. He explains, when they walk in to a local pharmacy like his, “they see who runs the business and see exactly who cares for them.” It seems like as the years go by, these stores will eventually consume the block. While this might not be a bad thing for the residents who want products at a lower price, it is certainly not good for the local business owners who try to make a living in this neighborhood.

The people who reside among local storefronts like Ben’s Best, also have an impact on the fate of these stores. Throughout the years, Jay Parker has seen the gradual change in demographics. He stated that originally the 1940’s brought a larger population of European Jews looking to find a new life after the war. Today, Rego Park is home to a large variety of ethnic groups.

Look at a side by side view of 1950 and 2014 of the Rego Park area surrounding Ben’s Best. One can see a that although both years held a rather large foreign born population, 2014 definitely held a larger population as seen by the darker colors on the right. A side by side view of 1980 and 2015, show that the influx in foreign born residents continually increased as the years went by.

The increase of an immigrant community is emphasized in a New York Times 2015 article about Rego Park. The article mentions the influx of Bukharan Jews from Uzbekistan to the Rego Park community as well as other immigrants from China, Russia, and India. In 2013, the Department of City Planning reported that 15,798 of 28,237 residents were foreign born. In terms of this affecting Ben’s Best throughout the years, the large Jewish community certainly helps his clientele. Jay Parker also has a relationship with the Rego Park Jewish Center. However, pastrami sandwiches and the like have become a common American meal for anyone to enjoy. Overall, Rego Park remains a largely immigrant community. While throughout the years the ethnicities have become more varied, the community continues to be home to a sizable Jewish community.

Jay Parker of Ben’s Best Deli taught me several important things about owning a local business. That it’s important to evolve, expansion can be good, and that quality counts.

References

“A Mission To Save Real Jewish Delis, A Dying Breed.” Food. NPR, 13 Oct. 2009. Web. May 2016.

Anonymous. Personal Interview. March. 2016

Dof_4_03082_0061.1980. NYC Department of Finance, New York. NYC Department of Records. Web.

“Foreign Born Population, 1950 & 2014.” Map. Social Explorer. Social Explorer, n.d. Web. (based on data from U.S. Census Bureau)

“Foreign Born Population, 1980 & 2014.” Map. Social Explorer. Social Explorer, n.d. Web. (based on data from U.S. Census Bureau)

Haller, Vera. “Rego Park, Queens: Finding Value in a Melting Pot.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Dec. 2015. Web. 03 May 2016.

Nathan, Joan. “At Jewish Delis, Times Are as Lean as Good Corned Beef.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Oct. 2009. Web. May 2016.

Parker, Jay. Personal Interview. March. 2016