Carmel Indiana Deli

There is an award winning article about Shapiro's Delicatessen in the Fall 2009 issue of Traces of indiana and Midwestern History.  Written by Douglas Wissing and published by the Indiana Historial Society, this article is entitled "The Shapiro's Story".  An excerpt:  "Run by Russian immigrantss from Odessa, Louis and Rebecca Shapiro, the store also included some of the couple's eight children, who helped out with customers as the youngest ones were safely ensconced in the apartment above."  "Each morning for their customers' sensory delight, the Shapiros scattered aromatic spices on the grocery's wooden floors.  'It smelled so good', ninety eight year old Shapiro daughter Sylvia Gorfain remembered about her childhood in the store.  'People stood in line.'"  The entire story is told in a dozen pages with so much detail and depth with insight into the personal stories of the Shapiro family through the generations. 

Another fantastic mention was received in the National Geographic Food Journeys of a Lifetime, 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe.  This is a beautiful book, as you would expect from National Geographic.  In the section titled Top Ten Travelers' Restaurants, Shapiro's Deli is given a nod as one of the places to visit in the Indianapolis International Airport.  

Several years ago, USA TODAY named Shapiro's Deli as one of the TOP 10 DELIS IN AMERICA.  

If you happen to be in Indianapolis you should stop by and see us!  Our deli in downtown Indianapolis or Carmel, Indiana are both easy to find.  Our kosher style food is nationally recognized!   

We are HUGE Colts fans here at Shapiro's Deli!  Our Dowtown Indianapolis Deli offers game day parking for $20 - and you get a coupon for $10 off your meal.   This is a great deal!  Parking is first come first serve, so get downtown early.  Have a fantastic meal at Shapiro's and then head to the stadium for some pre-game fun! 

For those of you (like me, boo hoo) who do not have tickets to the game, call us right now to order a party tray.  At least you can enjoy the game at home and enjoy one of our great big corned beef sandwiches with a side of potato salad.  Call downtown or the Carmel Indiana deli for your party tray orders.  But do it now!  Game day is Saturday. 

GO COLTS!  GO COLTS!  GO COLTS!  GO COLTS!  GO COLTS!

Shapiro's Deli is in full swing as our loyal customers celebrate Chanukah and prepare for their Christmas celebrations.  Many families are gathering to share their time together over lunch or dinner at Shapiro's Deli.  We've seen plenty of flashes from cameras as family photos are taken.  Shapiro's offers a wide variety of kosher food choices to please everyone from the youngest toddler to grandma and grandpa.  Put Shapiro's in your holiday plans!

Once you have enjoyed a relaxing meal stop by our carryout counter and pick up your last minute gifts.  We are now offering gift cards which are re-loadable and do not expire.  There are also some sweet stocking stuffers, gourmet jellies and preserves, syrups, baking mixes, and specialty mustards.  While you are at the counter place your food order for the holidays.  Through the first of the year we are still offering our Complete Turkey Dinner for $59.99.  This is a great deal and will give you time to relax. 

Stop by our restaurant in downtown Indianapolis or the Carmel, Indiana deli.  We are here to help you have a great holiday season!
 

Shapiro's Deli will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.  You can still enjoy your favorites from Shapiro's in Indianapolis or Carmel, Indiana if you pick up your goodies on Wednesday.  The cooks and bakers are already busy (just like the elves in Santa's workshop) preparing your annual favorites.  In addition to our Complete Turkey Dinner, we are wildly popular at Thanksgiving time for our baked goods.  We have a huge variety of pies, including traditional pumpkin pie.  Go to the Pastries & Desserts section of our website, www.shapiros.com to check out a full listing of pies and cakes.  Pre-ordering is recommended.  We can do a lot with 24 hours notice!  We are thankful as a company for our loyal customers who make us a part of their annual Thanksgiving tradition.  Enjoy the day!  We will be open again at 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning cooking up our kosher style food for your shopping weekend. 

We want to thank everyone for giving us an opportunity to serve your catering needs in Indianapolis and Carmel.  Our Marketing Manager, Jay Slavin, has been out to see many of you in your offices the last few weeks.  Thanks for your hospitality!  We are very excited to show you what we can do.  We are working diligently to serve our clients as they have breakfast meetings, work through lunch, and even stay into the evening hours and enjoy a Shapiro's dinner.  As the weather gets colder (prematurely I might add), more of you are trying our delicious soups and comforting dinners, such as meatloaf and baked chicken.  We are also quite busy with boxed lunches!  Thank you!  The boxed lunches can be a full or half size of our famous deli sandwiches, bag of chips, gourmet cookie, apple, pickle spear, and a soft drink or bottled water.  Yes we will deliver.  What time do you want it there?  The busy holiday season is approaching.  Please keep us in mind for your office get togethers.  Having a party tray from Shapiro's Deli along with some of our fresh baked cakes and pies will truly be a special treat.  We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Last week, I sat in Temple Beth El for the funeral services of Melvin Simon.  The various speakers spoke of Mel’s desire to create a real estate empire and his desire to give back to the community.  Melvin would bring his executive staff to the downtown deli when they first got started in Indy.  Melvin would also order a sandwich and a half of corned beef on rye bread.  In particular he instructed the slicer that he wanted it “wet” which was code word for leave the fat on it.  Melvin knew from his early days in the Bronx that the true flavor was in the fat.  He also would bring his fat cat New York bankers to the deli to challenge them with our food.  Melvin knew that for him to convince New Yorkers to loan money in Indy that he had to one up them.  So, he brought them to the deli.  He would have his brother, Herb, call Great Uncle Max to make sure that his favorite table near the mirrors was reserved for his group.  This was the beginning.  Melvin knew that he had to break bread with his business contacts to get the deal finished in a place that was strange to New Yorkers.

Our store was half the size because Paso Drug store and Juniors Barber shop occupied the buildings to the North, but Melvin was as loyal as they came.  When he took his family on vacations, he would always stop and get food for the plane or the condo.  Melvin knew what he wanted and how he wanted it.  Even in his last few months, Melvin would sneak away to the Carmel deli and come eat some Jewish soul food.  He would have his sandwich with his many small dogs in the back seat of his car as his chauffer would whisk him to his appointment.  I am positive that his driver was told to take him to a doctor’s appointment, but Melvin knew what he wanted.  And, NOBODY was going to argue with Melvin.

Melvin was a mentor to his family and his friends.  He was passionate with his ideas for success.  But, Melvin and Great Uncle Max taught me about loyalty.  Businesses can talk about customer service and customer satisfaction, but customer loyalty is the real success to business.  Thank you Melvin for your teachings and may these good deeds serve as a blueprint for future generations of mentoring.

Next week we'll be putting out the fishbowls at the Carmel Indiana Deli and the Indianapolis Deli.  Drop in your business card and we will be awarding a free lunch to a lucky recipient weekly.  We will add you to the e-mail club too, so you can receive our News From the Line newsletters.  Plus you'll be eligible to get a free piece of cake or pie for your birthday! 

You could also be eligible for a free Shapiro's lunch if you call and make an appointment with our Marketing Manager, Jay Slavin, to discuss your upcoming catering needs.  Downtown phone is (317) 631-4041 and the Carmel phone is (317) 573-3354.  We are expanding our catering services in Indianapolis and Carmel to meet your needs.  You will be pleased to offer the best kosher style food to your office mates or personal guests.  This is not just any deli - this is Shapiro's Deli - named one of the TOP TEN DELIS IN AMERICA BY USA TODAY!  Give us a call!