Wise Sons

Last updated
Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen
Type Jewish deli chain
Industry Restaurant
Founded2011;12 years ago (2011) [1]
FounderEvan Bloom & Leo Beckerman [1]
Number of locations
9 [2]
Area served
San Francisco Bay Area and Culver City, Greater Los Angeles, California; Tokyo, Japan [2]
Products Jewish food and drink
Subsidiaries Beauty's Bagel Shops
Website wisesonsdeli.com

Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen is a San Francisco-based chain of Jewish delis and bagel shops with 9 locations throughout the San Francisco Bay and in Culver City in the Los Angeles Areas in California, and Japan. [2]

Contents

Overview

Pastrami being smoked at Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. Pastrami by Wise Sons. (14519474073).jpg
Pastrami being smoked at Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen.

Wise Sons serves various foods from Jewish cuisine, such as pastrami, bagels, corned beef, Reuben sandwiches, and more. [3]

History

2002-2015

Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen was founded by brothers Evan & Ari Bloom and their friend Leo Beckerman at 22nd and Mission Street in the Mission District neighborhood of San Francisco, California. [1]

2015-2020

On January 27, 2015, a fire broke out in the 2588 Mission Street building on the corner of 22nd and Mission. This was the deli chain's flagship location, and housed its commissary kitchen inside which served their other locations. Wise Sons had been planning to launch a new line of bagels baked on-site that same week, complete with a small to-go window that had been constructed in a 100-square-foot space in the building. The fire killed a 38-year-old man, and destroyed the homes of 54 people as well as numerous businesses besides Wise Sons including Mission Market, taquerias, and a Popeyes. The subsequent water damage from firefighting efforts also devastated the company's central office that has been located in the building, destroying computers, files, and all of their equipment for their annual booth at the Outside Lands festival. [4]

Due to the fire destroying their commissary kitchen, Bloom was looking for a new 2000-4000 sq ft space to use, but temporarily the 24th Street location handled smoking meats such as pastrami and making sauces such as Russian dressing, while the Contemporary Jewish Museum location baked challah and bialys in the evening hours. For the first time rye bread was sourced from an outside supplier. [4]

2020- present

In the spring of 2020, business was down by 50%, their bagel shop at the Marin Country Mart was temporarily closed, several executives were fired, and their catering business had declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] Wise Sons launched a delivery-only ghost kitchen concept out of their location at the Contemporary Jewish Museum called Lev, serving Israeli food such as chicken shawarma, falafel, Impossible Kefta meatballs over turmeric rice, fries dressed in a harissa with herby yogurt dip, and Israeli salad. The name of the restaurant is derived from the Levant region, the western region of Asia where Israel is located. This Wise Sons first venture that does not serve Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, instead serving Sephardic and Israeli cuisine. Lev had been in development for several years prior as a catering company, and in 2018 Lev opened a permanent food stand in Square's Market Street headquarters. [6] [7] [5] Wise Sons opened their first location in the Los Angeles Area, in August 2021 with the opening of their downtown Culver City location in the former Amacita space directly adjacent to Amazon Studios and HBO's headquarters. This location had been under development since at least March 2021. [8] [9]

Locations

There are currently ten locations, 9 of which are located in Northern California, and 1 of which is located in Tokyo, Japan. [2]

California locations
24th Street Deli, Mission District, San Francisco [2]
The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco [2]
Downtown Oakland, California [2]
Marin Country Mart, Larkspur, California [2]
Hayes Valley, San Francisco [2]
Fillmore Street, San Francisco [2]
Beauty's Bagel Shop Temescal, Oakland [2]
Culver City, Los Angeles [2]
International Locations
Tokyo, Japan [2]

Los Angeles expansion

In July 2019, it was reported that Wise Sons was considering expanding to Los Angeles and opening their first Southern California location in the building that formerly housed Lenny's Deli in West Los Angeles. Building owner Lenny Rosenberg said of the potential sale, “I had a management company in there for few years that did not do a proper job so I decided to flip it/sell to Wise Sons.” [10]

In a statement Wise Sons said, “We do not currently have a completed agreement with the Landlord on leasing the space, nor is Lenny ‘flipping’ anything to us. Negotiations are ongoing at this time.” [10] Wise Sons expanded their operations to Southern California in August 2021. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of New York City</span> Culinary traditions of New York, New York (USA)

The cuisine of New York City comprises many cuisines belonging to various ethnic groups that have entered the United States through the city. Almost all ethnic cuisines are well represented in New York, both within and outside the various ethnic neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katz's Delicatessen</span> Restaurant in Manhattan, New York

Katz's Delicatessen, also known as Katz's of New York City, is a kosher-style delicatessen at 205 East Houston Street, on the southwest corner of Houston and Ludlow Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canter's</span> Delicatessen in Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Canter's Deli is a Jewish-style delicatessen, opened in 1931 in Boyle Heights, and later moved to the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, near the border of West Hollywood, where it is now. It has been frequented by many notable movie stars and celebrities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosher style</span>

Kosher style refers to foods commonly associated with Jewish cuisine but which may or may not actually be kosher. It is a stylistic designation rather than one based on the laws of kashrut. Generally, kosher-style food does not include meat from forbidden animals, such as pigs and shellfish, and does not contain both meat and milk in the same dish; however if such dish includes meat, it might not be kosher slaughtered. In some U.S. states, the use of this term in advertising is illegal as a misleading term under consumer protection laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosher restaurant</span> Restaurant serving food permissible in Jewish dietary law

A kosher restaurant or kosher deli is an establishment that serves food that complies with Jewish dietary laws (kashrut). These businesses, which also include diners, cafés, pizzerias, fast food, and cafeterias, and are frequently in listings together with kosher bakeries, butchers, caterers, and other similar places, differ from kosher-style businesses in that they operate under rabbinical supervision, which requires that the laws of kashrut, as well as certain other Jewish laws, including the separation of meat and dairy must be observed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen</span> Defunct delicatessen in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen was a Jewish delicatessen in Portland, Oregon serving primarily non-kosher foods. The restaurant closed permanently in November 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roast beef sandwich</span> Sandwich made from roast beef

The roast beef sandwich is a sandwich that is made out of sliced roast beef or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the United States, as well as fast food chains, such as Arby's, Rax Roast Beef, and Roy Rogers Restaurants. This style of sandwich often comes on a hamburger bun and may be topped with barbecue sauce and/or melted American cheese. The roast beef sandwich also commonly comprises bread, cold roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard, although it would not be uncommon to find cheese, horseradish, fresh/powdered chili pepper and even in some cases red onion. Roast beef sandwiches may be served hot or cold, and are sometimes served open faced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal-style smoked meat</span> Style of smoked meat corned beef created by Jewish immigrants in Montreal, Quebec

Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or simply smoked meat in Quebec is a type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices. The brisket is allowed to absorb the flavours over a week. It is then hot smoked to cook through, and finally is steamed to completion. This is a variation on corned beef and is similar to pastrami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Kenney</span> American celebrity chef

Matthew Kenney is an American celebrity chef, entrepreneur, author, and educator specializing in plant-based cuisine. He is the author of 12 cookbooks, founder of dozens of vegan restaurants, and founder of the companies Matthew Kenney Cuisine and Matthew Kenney Culinary, a plant-based diet education business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent's Deli</span> Restaurant in California, United States

Brent's Delicatessen & Restaurant is a Jewish deli and restaurant located in Northridge, California. The restaurant was opened in 1967 and purchased by Ron Peskin in 1969 for $1700. The deli has expanded to a second location in Westlake Village, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastrami on rye</span> Classic American deli sandwich

Pastrami on rye is a sandwich that was popularized in the Jewish kosher delicatessens of New York City. It was first created in 1888 by Sussman Volk, who served it at his deli on Delancey Street in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Jewish cuisine</span> Food, cooking, and dining customs associated with American Jews

American Jewish cuisine comprises the food, cooking, and dining customs associated with American Jews. It was heavily influenced by the cuisine of Jewish immigrants who came to the United States from Eastern Europe around the turn of the 20th century. It was further developed in unique ways by the immigrants and their descendants, especially in New York City and other large metropolitan areas of the northeastern U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish deli</span>

A Jewish deli, also known as a Jewish delicatessen, is a delicatessen establishment that serves various traditional dishes in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. They are typically known for their sandwiches such as pastrami on rye, as well as their soups such as matzo ball soup, among other dishes. Most of these establishments are traditionally considered Ashkenazi. Like much of the Jewish cuisine stemming from the period of the Jewish diaspora, the emergence of the Jewish deli developed in accordance with local culture. These days, Jewish delicatessens serve a variety of Jewish dishes. While some delis have full kosher-certification, others operate in a kosher-style, refraining from mixing meat and dairy in the same dish, despite potentially using non-certified ingredients. There are also delis that serve food without adhering to any traditional Jewish dietary restrictions, offering non-Kosher dishes such as the Reuben sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manny's Deli</span> Delicatessen in Chicago, IL USA

Manny's Cafeteria and Delicatessen, commonly known as Manny's Deli and sometimes known as Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli, is a delicatessen in Chicago, Illinois, United States, located in the Near West Side community area. It has been described as "the biggest, best-known, and oldest deli in the city". The deli has long been a meeting place for Chicago politicians and became the subject of national interest because of its popularity with President Barack Obama. One writer called Manny's "the second-most-likely place to see local politicians, after City Hall", and former governor George Ryan referred to it in his memoir as "one of my favorite places to eat lunch in Chicago" and reminisced about once receiving a phone call from Nelson Mandela while eating a corned beef sandwich there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kornblatt's Delicatessen</span> Jewish deli in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Kornblatt's Delicatessen was a Jewish deli in Portland, Oregon. The business operated from 1991 to March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dingfelder's Delicatessen</span> Restaurant in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Dingfelder's Delicatessen is a restaurant in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington.

Zylberschtein's is a Jewish deli and bakery in the Pinehurst neighborhood of northern Seattle, Washington, United States. The deli is named after owner Josh Grunig's great grandfather Morris Zylberschtein.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wise Sons Deli Hopes to Solve the San Francisco Bagel Problem For Good". Eater. Eater SF. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Locations". Wise Sons. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  3. Levin, Rachel. "Restaurant Report: Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, in San Francisco". New York Times. The New York Times.
  4. 1 2 "Toot". Eater. Eater SF. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Why SF's Wise Sons Deli is opening a ghost kitchen amidst a financial crisis". SFGate. SFGate. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  6. "First Taste: From the Wise Sons crew, takeout-only Lev serves up bright Middle Eastern flavors". 7x7. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  7. "Wise Sons Launches New Delivery-Only Mediterranean Restaurant". Eater. Eater SF. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  8. "Culver City Location". Wise Sons. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  9. "San Francisco's New-School Deli Wise Sons Expands to Downtown Culver City". Eater. Eater La. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Highly-Regarded SF Jewish Deli Is Opening a Huge New Restaurant in West LA [Update]". Eater. Eater LA. Retrieved 1 March 2021.