Long-time deli owner planning a new concept, what’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen in a deli?

Hi everyone,

I run a long established family deli in the Middle East. For decades we've been producing a wide range of ready-made foods and deli products - salads, cheeses, processed fish, and traditional home-style dishes.

We're currently planning to open an additional location, but this time the idea is a bit different.

Instead of building another production kitchen, we want to open a deli / prepared-food shop that focuses on serving and selling what we already produce in our main kitchen. The new location would specialize in:

• home-style prepared foods
• deli salads and products
• sandwiches and quick meals to take home

What we’re trying to figure out now is what kind of concept or extra element could make the place feel special, rather than just another deli counter.

So I’d love to learn from people here who enjoy delis:

• What’s the most interesting or unique thing you’ve seen in a deli?
• Was there a product, dish, or idea that made you come back again and again?
• Have you seen a simple but clever concept that worked really well?
• What do you think most delis are missing today?

It could be anything — a unique product, the way food is presented, a customer experience idea, an operational concept, or even a small detail that made the place memorable.

The goal is to create something that feels like more than just another deli, and I’d really appreciate hearing examples or ideas from places you’ve seen around the world.

Thanks!