New York Deli - I Want To Be A Part Of It

Walking along Christchurch’s Victoria Street or ducking down New Regent Street, don’t be surprised to hear ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ crooning ‘New York, New York’. Then smell the aromas of slow roasted pork, hot Canterbury lamb, spices, sauces and fresh bread. Finally, spot the queues outside the New York Deli as the regulars line up for their favourite dine-in or take-out hot sandwiches and other delectables.

Having won over the notoriously discerning Christchurch market, owners Ian and Belinda Coker say it’s time to ‘start spreading the news’ of the New York Deli to the rest of New Zealand. Working with their franchise consultants, they have developed a package that, Ian says, can be ‘seriously successful.’

The New York Deli had its beginnings with a gourmet meat supply and retail delicatessen the Cokers had started in 2003. ‘We were all about serving high quality food that was great value for money,’ Ian explains. ‘We started making big open sandwiches stacked so high they seemed to say “New York” – that’s really how the theme came about. We kept coming up with great new sandwiches and adopted the New York term “Hero” for this style of sandwich – as they say, you need to be a hero to finish one. Everyone seemed to love them, our customers told their friends and families, and queues started to extend out the door.

‘We like to think we have a bond with the New Yorkers’ reputation for hard work, grit and determination and their attitude of dreaming big, so we worked like the first immigrants and rebranded a little over two years ago as New York Deli. We aimed to generate a typically vibrant, fun and busy atmosphere through great décor featuring lots of red brick, photographs, jazz and big band music and, of course, our personalities. We soon had customers lining up, and we still do.’ But had they achieved their goal? ‘The answer soon came when some genuine New Yorkers congratulated us on making them feel like they were at home in a Lower East Side deli.’

In December 2009, they proved that they’d hit on a winning (and replicable) formula with the opening of the second New York Deli outlet attracting crowds to New Regent Street. ‘That also helped us test out the systems and model prior to franchising,’ says Ian enthusiastically. ‘It’s always been our goal to help others attain their dreams by helping them own and run a successful business and now we’re ready to go.’

Wanted – People With Big Personalities

The first thing Ian and Belinda say they are looking for in a franchisee is an unusual quality – it’s ‘a big personality.’ ‘You’ve got to be able to create the right atmosphere in the store, the right bustle and excitement, and you’ve got to lead your staff to do the same,’ Ian explains. ‘You need far better than average customer service skills and you also need lots of energy to work New York hours, initially 7.30am to around 10pm seven days a week. That’s a big ask but for the right people, the rewards are pretty big too.’

With set-up costs of $180-240,000, New York Deli is a competitively-priced opportunity to enter the food sector with a real point of difference, says Ian. ‘We have a complete franchise here with proven operational, management and marketing systems. Supply chains are in place for the finest quality meats and ingredients to create authentic New York flavours. Leading bakers are ready to produce New York Deli recipe breads. We provide full cooking and food presentation training and there’s comprehensive support available to help you repeat our success in your own business.’

In the immediate future, New York Deli is targetting downtown sites in the main centres for its first franchises, with exclusive territories based on neighbourhood blocks. As Ian says, ‘You know how the old song goes: “I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!” If that’s how you feel too, then we’d love to hear from you.’

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Volume 19 Issue 3 

Contact details for New York Deli

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