Iconic Phoenix deli Cheese 'N Stuff reopens under new owners
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Cheese 'N Stuff. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
Doors are open, sandwiches are being served and even the iconic neon sign is on again at Cheese 'N Stuff.
State of play: The central Phoenix deli, which closed in April after 76 years, is back in business under new ownership after Julie and Tom Palmer bought the sandwich shop with a group of friends.
- Cheese 'N Stuff originally opened in 1949 on Central Avenue just north of Camelback Road, but closed earlier this year when the family that had long owned the restaurant decided it was time to retire.
- It reopened last Monday.
Zoom in: The Palmers are Phoenix natives who went to school nearby at Brophy and Xavier. Julie told Axios she used to go to Cheese 'N Stuff for lunch often as a teenager, and her husband used to come to the adjoining shopping center with his grandmother after Mass at St. Francis.
- They had no experience in the restaurant industry, but when they saw the news about Cheese 'N Stuff closing, they thought, "We can't let this go, we can't just let it close down," Julie said.
The menu remains the same. Palmer said the previous owner passed down their recipes and suppliers, and his daughter trained the staff on making the sandwiches.
- The Palmers also got the neon sign that's topped the building since 1950 repaired — by the fourth generation of the company that originally designed and installed it, Julie said. Now, it's re-lit for the first time in about 15 years.
What she's saying: "There's been sort of a good pent-up demand. We feel like we walked into such a loyal customer base," Palmer said. "It doesn't feel like we're starting a business from scratch. We're just kind of taking it over and modernizing it a little bit and carrying it forward."
The intrigue: They've tried to preserve much of the restaurant's history, displaying old photos and ads they found during renovation and finding new uses for the wooden shelves from the walk-in.
- Palmer said they're modernizing the restaurant with things like online ordering, DoorDash service, gift cards and catering.
- They also plan to put tables on the back patio, which could host live music.