After three decades of serving up a taste of Germany on Slater Street, German Town Deli announced it is closing its doors on Jan. 29.
Owner Perry Schneider says he will retire at the end of this month and close the traditional German deli for good after more than 30 years in business.
“I’m going to be 57 soon and the end of my lease is coming up, so the timing just makes sense for me,” says Schneider.
Schneider’s parents opened the German Town Deli in 1980, and Schneider took over in 1984. Since then, he has been running the deli by himself.
“I love my work but it’s time for me to take life at a different pace,” said Schneider. With no apparent heir to take over the deli, Schneider says there is no option but to close.
Longtime customers are saddened by the news.
“I can first remember going to the deli as a young man back in 1992 for the first time,” says longtime customer Eric Stendal. “The shop hasn’t changed at all in these years. The place runs like a smooth machine. What you see is what you get. Simple, orderly, clean, efficient—German engineering for the lunch crowd.”
For Stendal, the deli was much more than just another lunch joint. It was a special place where he brought his fiancée, and the store became their special place to eat. “I think that with the German deli closing it’s a little tiny part of downtown that is dying away.”
With all the time that will be freed by retirement, Schneider says the main thing he hopes to catch up on is sleep.