Koch’s Deli: Big Hearts and Bigger Sandwiches

 

I knew there was something special about Koch’s Takeout Deli, of 43rd and Locust, when I had a sandwich in front of me before I had a formal quote.

“First, we eat,” Rami Shabbat, one of the owners of the deli, said. “What do you want in your sandwich?”

Koch’s Deli was started in 1966 by the Koch family as a Jewish-style takeout deli. Although it offers sweet treats such as thick milkshakes and rich cakes, the deli’s claim to fame is its specialty meats and cheeses. It was operated by the Koch family until the passing of Bob Koch in ’05, when the deli was passed on to Rami Shabbat and Ezra Haim, who are dedicated to keeping the Koch tradition alive.

 

In terms of the environment, as Shabbat described, “You go in and you step back in time.” A collage of photographs and loving notes from loyal customers cover a wall. The menu and surrounding signs are handwritten, because they were made before the advent of computers.

And just as they have done for nearly 50 years, Koch’s Deli focuses on customer service.

“Whether it’s busy or not busy, we feed the customers,” Shabbat said, joking, “when people are hungry, you don’t want to mess with hungry people.” Whether it be locally sourced pickles, fresh sliced turkey, or savory pastrami, Koch’s provides little snacks to keep its customers happy.

In today’s fast-paced world, this personal touch sets Koch’s apart from many of the restaurants Penn students frequent.

“It’s a personal relationship between the customers and us,” Shabbat said. Koch’s has built a long-lasting relationship with its customers- some have been coming for the last thirty or forty years.

While I was talking to Shabbat, one woman came in with her husband and daughter. While contentedly munching on a pickle, she raved about the deli, noting that she had been brought there when she was eleven years old, and had been frequenting it since.

Once you try a Koch’s sandwich, it’s easy to understand why.

Shabbat made me a salami sandwich with swiss cheese, deli mustard, and potato salad, on rye bread. The bread was fluffy, the meat and cheese were freshly sliced, and the potato salad was creamy and flavorful. Potato salad on a sandwich was a first for me, but as Shabbat knew well–it worked.

One bite put my childhood deli to shame. My friend from New York, who got the same sandwich, but with coleslaw instead of potato salad, had the same exact thought. Shabbat served the sandwiches with authentic kosher pickles- the kind that are so perfectly sour, you know they came from a barrel, not from a jar.

Besides having special family recipes and years of experience, Koch’s creates delicious food by keeping its ingredients fresh. Everything is sliced to order, and Koch’s purchases just enough ingredients each week to last the next few days. Even though that leaves it with a limited quantity of ingredients, by no means does the deli scrimp on portions. Rather, it’s just the opposite.

My friend and I thought our sandwiches were generous, but we knew we were wrong when we saw pictures of the typical Koch’s Deli creations. Each specialty sandwich features a whopping 8-9 ounces of meat, excluding cheese and vegetables. For $9-11, the triple-layer sandwich you receive is easily two meals, and the quality is far superior.

“Every sandwich is made with love and full attention of the person that makes it,” said Shabbat.” “Every sandwich is a piece of art, every slice is especially for you.”

The sandwiches are all named after local schools and universities. The most popular one is the Restaurant School, featuring corned beef, honey turkey, sliced brisket, coleslaw, Russian dressing, and hot pepper cheese, and another favorite is the hot pastrami.

Over time, the offerings at Koch’s Deli have barely changed, although they have adjusted to the times. The deli has added vegetarian options. They experimented with soup made from scratch, but this ended up not being profitable.

However, Shabbat admits that selling soup during flu season might have been helpful. “We got calls from Jewish mothers all over the country,” Shabbat said, as they were requesting soup for their Philly-bound kids. Shabbat joked that he knew exactly when flu season was over when the calls subsided.

In addition, Koch’s Deli recently began an online delivery service. Since Koch’s relies primarily on word-of-mouth, this has caused some changes to business.

In the past, during peak hours, Koch’s Deli would be packed, and “the thing to do was to come here, wait in line, and meet everyone,” Shabbat said.

In comparison, Shabbat observed that students today prefer to press a button on their computers, and have the sandwiches magically appear at the door. To them, 43rd and Locust sounds extremely far away- until actually making the quick trek to the deli, I will admit that I was prone to this belief.

As a result, at the deli, the fax and phone are always ringing with delivery orders. Shabbat thinks this causes the students to miss the important part– the experience.

Shabbat’s favorite part of working at Koch’s is feeding people, making them happy, and seeing the satisfaction on their faces. If a student gets her sandwich delivered, “they don’t experience the fun of being here,” Shabbat said.

This experience is something that many customers never forget– Koch’s has had customers take a taxi straight from the airport to the deli. Whether it be alumni with their friends or their parents, they graduate and go “over the world… the name stays stuck in their head, and they always come back,” Shabbat said.

His point was proven when Matt Lehner WG’03 walked into the shop. Lehner was working in New York, but was back in Philly for a career fair, and knew he had to come back to Koch’s for a sandwich, and bring his friends.

In typical Koch’s fashion, Lehner and his friends were greeted warmly, and provided slices of turkey and hot pastrami while waiting for their sandwiches.

“It’s my favorite deli in the world,” Lehner said. “New York is a deli town, and I still think it’s better than New York.”

Since the food speaks for itself, Koch’s Deli doesn’t generally believe in giving coupons. There’s a reason the deli was awarded Philly Magazine’s 2012 Best Deli Sandwich award.

However, Shabbat loves serving customers in the store. “Its nice to meet all kinds of people, from all aspects of society,” said Shabbat.

Therefore, Shabbat said, if you bring five friends into the deli, you can get one sandwich free. Since one sandwich generally can feed two people, this is a cost-effective and tasty deal.

Considering the quality of the sandwiches, the special attention each customer receives, and the great value of each sandwich, the trek down to this historical deli on 43rd street is definitely worth your while.

-Farrel Levenson