Home of 2-handed sandwiches

The recent soft opening wasn't very "soft," but the staff at the new Deli Café at Frost Village has met the challenge well, said owner Dave Spridgeon. A flag at the entrance proclaims the deli is open from business. VICKI JOHNSON / The Advertiser-Tribune The Deli Café at Frost Village, 155 Frost Parkway, has been open about two weeks. "It's just a fresh alternative," Spridgeon said. "Typically, (the line to order) is wrapped from the register clear back to the corner for three or four hours." The new restaurant has been modeled after a New York deli and offers a variety of sandwiches, salads and wraps. He said customer feedback so far has been positive. "People think they're getting plenty of food, it's priced right and it's fresh," he said. Staff members are working on speeding "ticket times" as they learn how to improve efficiency, he said. "We're getting ready to unveil selling all the meats and cheeses by the pound," Spridgeon said. The meats and cheeses are from Metro Deli, and the bread is cut to his specifications by the Detroit Bread Co. "It's three-quarter-inch thick," he said. "Except the brioche is an inch thick. We truly wanted to make two-handed sandwiches." The menu also includes gluten-free and vegan options. "We get a lot of people thanking us for that," he said. And because Spridgeon's Pink Lady food truck is no longer operating, the most popular foods from the truck have been added to the deli menu – printed in pink. Although the main sandwich fixings are from outside the area, Spridgeon said he's always been interested in supporting other local businesses. For example, among the items the deli uses or offers for sale are A.J.'s salad dressing, Ballreich's/MST/Jolly's potato chips, MST popcorn, Miss Cindy's cookies, home-baked items from local kitchens and Freeze Dried Ohio products. "We need to find a pie maker so we can offer whole pies," he said. The deli is open only for breakfast and lunch 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily (closed Sunday) so it doesn't potentially interfere with the dinner business of other restaurants. Also, out of respect for other Tiffin businesses, he said the deli doesn't serve bagels or subs. "So we're not interfering with their piece of the business pie here in Tiffin," he said. Spridgeon said he is working toward making the deli a destination to draw more people to Tiffin and Seneca County. He would like to attracts people from other places to eat at the deli and visit the local area. "We want people to talk about this out of town," he said. If people travel to Tiffin to visit the deli, he said they're likely to walk over the Ralph's Joy of Living next door and visit other Tiffin businesses. "It's a momentum builder for the town," he said. "They can eat, drink and thrive here in Tiffin." Down the road, Spridgeon plans to add delivery by vintage bicycle within the city's DORA boundaries and by New York-style checkered cab to further places within Tiffin. "We're taking baby steps," he said. "We're hoping by summertime, but we want to get this part down first." Also, when the weather gets warmer, he said the outdoor patio will have 24 seats overlooking the Sandusky River. "And Rotary Park, which is delightful in the summertime," he said. Within a few months, he said the deli will begin taking phone orders. "We'll do it pizza shop-style," he said. "People can call in and then come in and pick it up." Also coming in the future are birthday cookie cakes that can be ordered 48 hours in advance and picked up. After hours, he said the restaurant is available for rental, and can be used for baby or bridal showers, birthday parties or similar events with a limited menu. The deli is the latest endeavor undertaken by Dave and Amber Spridgeon, who also own The Renaissance of Tiffin and Jolly's as well as limousines and party buses. Throughout his enterprises, Spridgeon said he has 54 employees, which move among businesses as needed. "It just never crossed my mind that I'd someday have 54 employees," he said. "It's a big responsibility." He said he's been wanting to open a deli downtown since he received the results of a survey. "It's been a few years, but the people in Tiffin said they wanted a deli and bakery downtown," he said. When the time was right, Spridgeon said he and local businessman Andrew Kalnow, who owns the building, began working together to make it happen. Kalnow and his team have created Frost Village in the oldest part of Tiffin on and near Frost Parkway, and the deli provides a restaurant near the Frost Village Bed & Breakfast. A grand opening and ribbon cutting will be scheduled in the future in cooperation with Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce, he said, but no date has been set.