What about the corner deli? I wrote a post called "
Where Do You Shop For Groceries?" a little while ago and not one person mentioned the corner deli. I want to take step further past the major grocery stores to recognize the corner deli. Unlike major grocery stores, the corner deli will forever be cemented in my heart due to unmatched service, the friendly family feeling, and great deli food. This post is a tribute to all the small corner delis, especially mine,
Berenato's Corner Deli in Ocean City, NJ.
Where did this indescribable love and loyalty stem from? Every summer, my family went to Ocean City, NJ for vacation. We used the same beach house for over twenty years. I can remember, from a very early age, that as soon a I could ride a bike(without training wheels or using parked cars as bumpers), I evolved into the family errand boy. How did they pay me? In treats from Berenato's Corner Deli.
I was sent to the corner deli several times a day. It was a short two minute bike ride away. It was always, "Billy, go get sandwich rolls and deli meat, here's a twenty" or "Billy you want a soda or candy...then go pick up my hoagie at the corner" or "run down to the corner and grab an OC Sentinel."
I was the go-to errand boy. Usually, I could count on spending the extra change on candy, sodas, chips, or anything from the ice cream freezer that contained chipwiches, Jack and Jill ice cream cups, Choco Tacos, push-up pops, and lots of other great ice cream treats. If I was lucky enough, my brother would share his 6'' roast beef hoagie with me.
Berenato's Corner Deli is my favorite place at the Jersey Shore. They know me by name, have watched me grow up, and they will always be the best place for deli cold cut lunch meats, fresh hoagie rolls, and a quick bagel breakfast sandwich.
No place, grocery store or other, slices the meat like them. They cut the turkey paper thin(the best way) without it shredding. Each morning I had to run down the block early enough before the small hoagie fresh sandwich rolls sold out. You can eat your lunch or breakfast sandwiches underneath their large awnings in front, take them home, or walk a block to relax on the beach.
The corner deli may not stock all the groceries you need, the prices dig a little deeper into your wallet, but the cost of a family friendly well known environment cannot be matched by any grocery store. The Berenato's love what they do. They serve people, greet you daily, get to know you, and become a part of your life.
Do you have a corner deli that you love?
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