JERRY'S SPORTING NEW LOOK VENTURA BOULEVARD DELI REOPENS 16 MONTHS AFTER FIRE.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer STUDIO CITY - When Guy Starkman got the call that his restaurant was on fire, he never figured it would be a good thing. Sixteen months ago, the original Jerry's Famous Deli Wikipedia is not the place for advertisement or self-advertising. Jerry's Famous Deli is a Los Angeles-based delicatessen famous for its huge menu, which boasts over 700 deli and traditional food items. caught fire, causing an estimated $1.5 million in damage and essentially ruining the hodgepodge hodge·podge n. A mixture of dissimilar ingredients; a jumble. [Alteration of Middle English hochepot, from Old French, stew; see hotchpot. of older buildings that comprised the restaurant. Starkman, president of the 25-year-old chain, saw the building he'd grown up with transformed into a soggy, blackened black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. mess May 18, 2002. One employee suffered minor burns, but the restaurant Starkman calls ``the foundation'' was in shambles. The kitchen was scorched scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. , water damage laid waste to the dining room and its trademark Broadway musical posters were ruined. Sifting through the damage, the young executive began to wonder how to put it back together. Ultimately, he decided not to bother. Rather than recreate a concept that was already showing its age, Starkman elected to toss out the old theater scheme and rebuild in a totally new fashion. Working with designer Robert Ross The name Robert Ross is shared by several notable individuals:
adj. 1. Of or relating to the future. 2. a. Of, characterized by, or expressing a vision of the future: futuristic decor. b. Plexiglas lights and plasma screen televisions. After $3.5 million and more than a year of planning, sketching and rebuilding, the new concept makes its debut Tuesday morning for the 7 a.m. breakfast crowd. ``As I stand here today, almost open, it's a good thing,'' the 32-year-old Starkman said. ``For the last 15 months, I wish it had never happened. It was a blessing in disguise, but it was a very good disguise.'' Once the flagship reopens, Starkman plans on spreading the new look to his 12 other restaurants throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and Florida. He's ditching the Broadway theme derived from the theater concessions business developed by his father, Isaac Starkman, Jerry's chief executive officer, in favor of an upscale design unlike the homey feeling of a classic deli. ``When you look at the successful chains and all the attention they pay to image, we thought it was time to bring us into '03,'' the president said. ``We've had a good run with Broadway, but L.A.'s not much of a theater town.'' The new look also drops ``Famous Deli'' from the sign, though it's still part of the name. Starkman wants the new look to have a more elegant, modern feel, but restaurant expert Andy Harris doubted whether that was the right move. ``It's a more corporate look, the look of a multiple restaurant operation,'' said Harris, producer of KFI-AM (640)'s restaurant show. ``That's not the motif for traditional delis, so I think it's a big question mark. You've got to admire them for going against tradition and making the investment, but I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how it'll work with its fans. Fancy decoration and delis don't necessarily go together.'' Though he wants to continue with a deli-related concept, Starkman professes no strict allegiance to the matzo-ball soup and pastrami scene. With a 700-item menu, he sees himself more in competition with The Cheesecake Factory than with the old-style sandwich shops that dot Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. . ``I think that the drive now is that people want to feel like they're in an upscale place for not that much money,'' Starkman said. ``With (the old design of) Jerry's, people would doubt my food because it looked like a deli.'' Since they aren't direct rivals, competitor Art Ginsburg of the landmark Art's Deli heralded Starkman's return to Ventura Boulevard near Coldwater Canyon Avenue. After 46 years on the Boulevard, he's not afraid to even pitch in a hand if the re-opening doesn't go smoothly. ``I'm happy that they're reopening Reopening Treasury offerings of additional amounts of outstanding issues, rather than an entirely new issue. A reopened issue will always have the same maturity date, CUSIP number, and interest rate as the original issue. ,'' the seasoned operator said. ``We're all friendly competitors, we all help each other if we can. If we run short of something, if they run short, we can call each other and help them out. They've called me, I've called them - could be sauerkraut, paper bags, whatever.'' Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Finishing touches finishing touches finish npl the finishing touches → der letzte Schliff finishing touches npl → ultimi ritocchi mpl are being put on the Jerry's Famous Deli in Studio City, 16 months after the Ventura Boulevard landmark was burned in a fire. The president of the 25-year-old chain has completely redesigned the eatery. (2 -- color) Jerry's Famous Deli spent $3.5 million to completely remake re·make tr.v. re·made , re·mak·ing, re·makes To make again or anew. n. 1. The act of remaking. 2. Something in remade form, especially a new version of an earlier movie or song. the Studio City outlet, adding marble floors, futuristic lights and plasma screen televisions. Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer (3) Smoke pours out of the back of Jerry's Famous Deli in Studio City - the company's first restaurant - in this May 18, 2002, photograph. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion