New Sig's Place Stops Traffic

If you see someone pull a u-turn on Aquidneck Avenue, it's probably not because they forgot something back at their house. It's more likely that they just can't believe they've spotted Sig's Place Deli & Catering back in business.

Owner Shawn Margolis says he can hardly believe how excited people are to see his family's deli up-and-running again. A longtime Newport institution, the deli would have celebrated its 80th year in business this year had his parents, Morris and Brenda Margolis, not closed its doors back in 2008. Margolis' grandfather opened the original Sig's Deli in 1930. The institution has now re-opened at 1151 Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown.

But really it should come as no surprise to Margolis that people are so excited. Margolis told Patch that ever since the deli closed two years ago, customers have been constantly coming up to him to share just how much they miss his family, and the food.

"I even had one lady that was crying," he said. "There's nowhere else around here to get this kind of food."

Margolis says that what differentiates his food from the others is that everything is made fresh on site.

"You can't beat fresh-made and there are not that many people doing it," he noted. Sig's specialties of roasted turkey, mac 'n cheese, American chop suey, and macaroni salad are all back.

Of the macaroni salad, Margolis says: "People are buying it like I'm giving it away for free."

Margolis, who worked for his parents off and on as a kid and then full time for 11 years at the Newport Sig's, said that he had been thinking about re-opening the business for awhile, but that he really "fell into it" when he heard through a friend that the Aquidneck Avenue space next to Post All was opening up. 

"I drove by and there was no sign in the window so I found out who owned the building, called them, and three days later we had a lease," Margolis said. "We started renovating the space 1-1/2 weeks later and two weeks after that (July 3) we were open for business."

So why Middletown instead of Newport?

Margolis says it's the perfect mid-point between his home in Portsmouth and that of his parents, who still live in Newport and now work at the new deli three days a week.

Margolis says it's great to see so many of his Fifth Ward customers come out to support the new Middletown location.

He also loves seeing the same faces four to six times a week. Margolis says he has many repeat customers and that the new people who come in often say they heard about it from a friend. 

"We happened to stumble upon it one day and now we come every week," said Teresa Helger of Little Compton, who was in the deli one recent weekday.

Loyal customers will recognize the same fresh prepared foods, fresh baked bagels and muffins, as well as the take-out dinners that were mainstays at the original Sig's Place. However they will not see the grocery and frozen foods sections that had been part of the original Fifth Ward Sig's.

The other main difference is the new offerings that take advantage of the high quality pizza oven left there by previous occupants, Scooby's Pizza. Margolis decided to keep that oven, stay open until 8 p.m. and offer pizza as well.

In the almost six weeks since Margolis' new Sig's Place has been open, he's already handed out the original 2,000 menus he had printed. With that in mind, it appears that the long-time Newport institution is on track for similar success in Middletown.

Sig's Place is open 7 days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. They take all major credit cards and have an ATM on site. They also offer Sig's Gift Cards.