Secrets of My Success: Longo's Park Deli

Known for fresh meats and prepared foods,  on South Regent St. has been a local destination for decades. Now owned by Tony Longo, the deli thrives by word-of-mouth marketing.

Walking into the store, one would see the vast assortment of deli cuts, prepared foods and grocery store items competively priced. Patch sat down with Longo’s son, Kevin, and Phil Maniscalco to discover the secret to their success.

Q. How has the economy affected the deli?

As more people turn to cut back on going out, they use the “restaurant funds” to buy prepared food at our store, so it seems like people are coming in more now... especially late at night.

Q. What products do you offer?

We have a whole working meat department, where we also make our own sausage. We have all the different pasta sauces, a basic grocery section and a prepared food section that we make all ourselves--chili, chicken parmesan, etc.

Q. How does your store differ from other delis?

We really make sure the customer is satisfied. We know your name, we remember you. We know how you like it. At other places you’ll say, “Can you make it this way?” and they’ll say “No, we don’t do that,” because they are a larger chain or have less of a selection.

Satisfaction Guaranteed is what we go by. So you really get a personal experience. It is a clean store. We are fast. My dad has changed how the store runs a few times over the years, so as a customer you are not going to wait an hour if there are 10-15 other people in the store.

Everybody is moving. In general, you will be appreciated here.

Q. So is that why people come back?

Definitely. The quality of the food, the friendly service, the girls at the register remember a lot more customers’ coffee orders that I ever could! There are customers who come in the morning, as part of their routine, and all they have to do is walk in the door for one of the guys to work on [his or her] bagel while the cashier makes [his or her] coffee. It is a personal experience.

Q. So is that the secret to your store’s success?

Yes; the service, the quality of the food, and the speed at which we have [orders filled.] The quality does not kill you on the price. We don’t charge you twice the price, we just do it right the first time. Speed is also important because people today have a lot of things to do so if they can’t get what they fast, they will just go somewhere else to get it.

Q. What do you like and do not like about your job?

I like that I see a lot of people. You get to meet new people and get to watch people grow up. When I was little, I was playing in the back room. My father is now the owner, but he started sweeping the floors as a little boy and worked his way to owning the place. It is a fast-paced job and you work hard. It is a good work environment. I don’t like that it is long hours. Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays—when everybody wants to go away—is when we are busy.

Q. What advice would you give to others planning to enter into the deli and catering field?

Focus on making your customers happy, which means sometimes when you are right [it doesn’t matter because] the customer isn’t happy.

Longo’s Park Deli is open from 7am-8pm Monday through Saturday, and from 8am-4pm on Sundays.

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