Two steps from Riverview, Deli Sandro’s is the dream of owner Anthony D’Alessandro. And Tony has some big news. Deli Sandro’s is moving…across the street.
After offering some coffee and a free sandwich, D’Alessandro talked about why the deli is moving.
“We want to add pizza, we want to add wings, we’ve kind of maxed out our offerings here. In order to offer more, we need more space,” he said.
The new space is, indeed, quite a bit larger than the current location. Currently, Deli Sandro’s’ main offerings are sandwiches, but they also offer snacks, candy, and assorted drinks, completely filling up the current space. The new building will have a larger kitchen, with new equipment that will let the deli make fried foods and, of course, pizza and wings.
Deli Sandro’s has numerous interactions with students of the University. Any students rushing fraternities will have noticed that a lot of them have Deli Sandro’s cater with sandwiches for at least one gathering. As D’Alessandro says, nearly two-thirds of his sales come from students ordering sandwiches.
The deli also has a place in the broader community.
“They’ve been great, they’ve been truly supportive of us, and they keep us alive in the summer,” D’Alessandro said.
The 19th Ward has an “interesting” reputation, as D’Alessandro puts it, but he certainly finds his way. He believes that the community has definitely improved in the five years since he’s established his deli, and he encourages students to explore more of Rochester. As he says, there are a lot of disparities here. Yet, he commends the diversity and the niches that can be found. He does not like the reputation of the area, and is saddened about how much “people are willing to pay to live outside of the city,” but he does have a positive outlook, saying Deli Sandro’s “wants to provide exciting reasons for people to stay.”
D’Alessandro also wants to fit into the one part of our campus that he deems is extremely lacking. His idea, he says, is “the missing element of collegiate life” at UR. Unfortunately, only those students over 21 would be able to enjoy his idea. A few names have been tossed around, but the currently proposed name is the Tin Roof—a new bar. D’Alessandro dreams that one day it can become a staple of the University (or at least for the upperclassmen).
Due to the deli’s proximity to campus, especially Riverview, D’Alessandro is confident that he can get campus residents out of their dorms and to his establishments. They are significantly closer than College Town—barely a five minute walk from the Residential Quad.
D’Alessandro aims to have completed renovations at the new location by the time students return from spring break in March, just in time to serve sandwiches in the warm weather. The bar, however, will take a little bit longer. The goal for its opening is set around May, so that older students and members of the community can take a break there as the summer heat starts to set in.
If students want to find out more about Deli Sandro’s progress and what it has to offer, they can subscribe to the deli’s online newsletter, available on its website www.delisandros.com.
D’Alessandro has also set up a promotion for readers of the Campus Times: by entering the code “Campus Times” at checkout on the website, customers can cut $5 off their orders.
