Inside Katz’s Deli with Jake Dell: Preserving a 138-Year-Old NYC Institution

Jake Dell, fifth-generation owner of Katz’s Delicatessen, joins Andrew Rigie for a conversation about what it takes to run one of New York City’s most iconic restaurants. Jake shares how he went from pre-med student to taking over the family business, and takes us behind the scenes of Katz’s – from preserving generations-old traditions and training longtime staff to managing extraordinary volume, modernizing operations, and navigating the economics of the restaurant business. It’s a conversation about family, legacy, pastrami, and the challenge of keeping a 138-year-old New York institution thriving without losing what made it special in the first place. https://www.thenycalliance.org/   / thenycalliance   0:00 - Intro 0:43 - Katz’s Deli History 5:58 - What Systems Does Katz’s Have in Place for Operations? 13:08 - Modernizing Katz’s Deli 21:12 - Shipping and CPG 25:52 - Katz’s Wall of Fame and Private Events 31:25 - What Makes a Great Meat Cutter? 38:38 - The Challenges of Running Katz’s Deli 42:06 - Brand Collaborations 43:55 - What Jake Looks For When He First Enters the Deli 46:50 - What Jake Wants His Legacy to Be 53:10 - Katz’s Role in NYC #newyorkcity #restaurant #politics #hospital #business #smallbusiness