Dilly Deli

[joiei]

Wow, I am totally amazed how people are not really understanding food costs. I am not personally in the food business..but I have been around relatives and friends operations over the years..in San Franciso, New York, Wash DC and various locales in Europe...I have looked at this website with great interest..everybody has an opinion about how things should be in their mind (I am the same way). However trying to understand how folks think at times..every new start up has to find their way and figure out their  price point based on type and quality of product and if they want to go organic and concentrate on a certain customer. If a restaurant decides to go for a certain type of food i.e. such as Dilly Deli then price point is going to be a lot different than a corporate thing. All this concern about the cost is reflected in what they sell..if you are really concerned about it then by all means go to a corporate. However think about the quality and quantity you are getting...So what if the food is too much..get a to go box! I am sure they have such a thingthen you have eaten 2 meals for approx 10 bucks - Not such a bad deal after all. 2 people going out for 25-30 is not so bad..I did the crazy thing of ordering a mediumj pizza with a couple sides from a chain last night during the snow storm..I threw away $27 plus a 5 dollar tip for crap food (I guess I have to do that once in while to appreciate what we have in this town for moderately priced good food). I would think their foods costs would be quite a bit higher than say a diner..organic meat products and vegetable with be far higher than a run of the mill hamburger..it's just a case of zeros.

Talking about waitstaff if a non issue for a Deli..wait staff is paid pretty bad its the tips that count..Food costs from meats, cheeses, fruit and veg, grocery items,paper products, beverages and not even talking about utilities..Be thankful that a small business does that because it actually provides employment..think about that before you think about stiffing them.

I know when I go to the grocery store I have the prices as much as anyone else..I challenge someone to go to the organic store and try to find the items DD does on the open market including the breads,dressings and whatever side you are craving and try to replicate it, oh and factor in your time, enery costs, commuting costs to make that item oh and most importantly same quality as they are putting out..That is what a restaurant owner has to do all the time on a larger scale. Most people I know who are in that business do it because they  love it..Most don't have a very good profit margin..DD is probably going to be good and lucky because owner has a couple other venues right there downtown but doesn't take away from the stresses involved..

So before we slam a start up or even established venue lets all think not to do harm to them but encourage them. If there are suggestions to be made hey let the management team know in person how else they going to improve on something..these blogs are helpful..and if you don't think they don't look at these comments then you are sorely wrong..at least man up and let them know what your concerns are in a positive manner..It now different then working in an office and slamming a coworker behind their back and then backdooring them...

And no I don't know any of the folks there at DD but I do wish them the best and enjoy a new business to our community

Some of the posters on this board seem to feel that food prices should still be at 1975 prices to fit into their price ranges.  I agree that they have no idea how food costs are developed.

[BierGarten]

Wow, I am totally amazed how people are not really understanding food costs.  You are wrong about this considering Elliot himself posted here early on on this issue and explained the higher food cost.

If a restaurant decides to go for a certain type of food i.e. such as Dilly Deli then price point is going to be a lot different than a corporate thing. All this concern about the cost is reflected in what they sell..if you are really concerned about it then by all means go to a corporate.  This is nonsensical jibberish.

Talking about waitstaff if a non issue for a Deli.. This doesn't make sense.  It may be a low cost issue for the company but it is a high cost issue for the customer.  Wait staff equals customer must pay tip.  No wait staff equals customer need pay no tip.

So before we slam a start up or even established venue lets all think not to do harm to them but encourage them. If there are suggestions to be made hey let the management team know in person how else they going to improve on something..these blogs are helpful..and if you don't think they don't look at these comments then you are sorely wrong..at least man up and let them know what your concerns are in a positive manner..It now different then working in an office and slamming a coworker behind their back and then backdooring them...  I feel as though you haven't read this thread.  Seems to me people are giving their honest advice, opinions, reviews, suggestions, etc...  We don't need to be told to "man up".  We know Elliot reads the forum because he posted here.  He himself wanted the posts to continue and sounded like he genuinely wanted the advice from here.  I simply don't know what your problem is since you gave zero specifics.

[Cats Cats Cats]

Wow, I am totally amazed how people are not really understanding food costs. I am not personally in the food business..but I have been around relatives and friends operations over the years..in San Franciso, New York, Wash DC and various locales in Europe...I have looked at this website with great interest..everybody has an opinion about how things should be in their mind (I am the same way). However trying to understand how folks think at times..every new start up has to find their way and figure out their  price point based on type and quality of product and if they want to go organic and concentrate on a certain customer. If a restaurant decides to go for a certain type of food i.e. such as Dilly Deli then price point is going to be a lot different than a corporate thing. All this concern about the cost is reflected in what they sell..if you are really concerned about it then by all means go to a corporate. However think about the quality and quantity you are getting...So what if the food is too much..get a to go box! I am sure they have such a thingthen you have eaten 2 meals for approx 10 bucks - Not such a bad deal after all. 2 people going out for 25-30 is not so bad..I did the crazy thing of ordering a mediumj pizza with a couple sides from a chain last night during the snow storm..I threw away $27 plus a 5 dollar tip for crap food (I guess I have to do that once in while to appreciate what we have in this town for moderately priced good food). I would think their foods costs would be quite a bit higher than say a diner..organic meat products and vegetable with be far higher than a run of the mill hamburger..it's just a case of zeros.

Talking about waitstaff if a non issue for a Deli..wait staff is paid pretty bad its the tips that count..Food costs from meats, cheeses, fruit and veg, grocery items,paper products, beverages and not even talking about utilities..Be thankful that a small business does that because it actually provides employment..think about that before you think about stiffing them.

I know when I go to the grocery store I have the prices as much as anyone else..I challenge someone to go to the organic store and try to find the items DD does on the open market including the breads,dressings and whatever side you are craving and try to replicate it, oh and factor in your time, enery costs, commuting costs to make that item oh and most importantly same quality as they are putting out..That is what a restaurant owner has to do all the time on a larger scale. Most people I know who are in that business do it because they  love it..Most don't have a very good profit margin..DD is probably going to be good and lucky because owner has a couple other venues right there downtown but doesn't take away from the stresses involved..

So before we slam a start up or even established venue lets all think not to do harm to them but encourage them. If there are suggestions to be made hey let the management team know in person how else they going to improve on something..these blogs are helpful..and if you don't think they don't look at these comments then you are sorely wrong..at least man up and let them know what your concerns are in a positive manner..It now different then working in an office and slamming a coworker behind their back and then backdooring them...

And no I don't know any of the folks there at DD but I do wish them the best and enjoy a new business to our community

So based on your ideas the meat could be Organic raised in Mongolia strapped to Dolphins and sent to a west coast port then transported to Tulsa via Donkey or horseback.  Thus creating zero carbon emission (besides animal flatulence) meat that only costs $200 a sandwich (Dolphin transport is still unreliable) and so we should pay it?  Cmon man you don't understand food costs!  I personally feel that any issue with cost isn't based on what ingredients are in the item but the fact that it is a sandwich (a good sandwich) but still a sandwich.  Sandwiches to me aren't an entree, I know food is food but I think there is a psychological effect of a $9.50 Sandwich (a good sandwich).  Maybe the name should be Organic Dilly Deli.  I had no clue everything was organic when I went in and I doubt a very high % of the people that come downtown to eat know either.  I am fine with paying more for things that are produced by local companies.  I however, have no clue how much more money it costs than other sources but maybe there are a lot of people out there that do know.

[AngieB]

http://tulsabusiness.com/article.asp?aID=17307248.6857364.633581.7515489.9490698.609&aID2=48728

Blue Dome Gets the Dilly
Natasha Ball
3/30/2009

Everyone loves sandwiches.

That was Dru Titchener's hunch, anyway, when, about a year ago, she came up with the concept for the Blue Dome District's newest restaurant.

The soft opening of Dilly Deli, the just-opened delicatessen and bar at 402 E. Second St., was March 13 – a Friday, of course – and the grand opening is slated for – no fooling – April 1.

"This place has just come together," Titchener said. "We were really lucky with this spot. It turned out to be a gem. We were looking for awhile and nothing was really coming up. All of a sudden, this place came around. We thought, 'Wow. This is it.'"

The menu at Dilly Deli, the items on which personify Titchener's favorite people, is 26 sandwiches long. Salads range from the standard create-your-own to the Kathy Taylor ($10.50), tuna or chicken salad on romaine with Roma tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and carrots.

The sandwiches are made on Farrell Family Organic Bread, headquartered in Tulsa at 8034 S. Yale Ave. The meat is all-natural - "no funny ingredients you can't pronounce," the menu says. The beer list – five on tap, 16 bottles – is studded with locally-brewed beers from Marshall Brewing Company, at Sixth and Wheeling. Even the coffee is local – it's trucked to the Blue Dome District from Topeca Coffee Roastery at 630 W. 12th St.

Sandwiches start at $8.50 and go up to the $20 Jon Michael, a gut-busting full pound of pastrami and swiss cheese, served on rye. Emerging customer favorites are the Michael Roy ($9.50), a veggie sandwich starring portobello mushrooms, and the Mondy ($8.50), a Thai-inspired 'which with peanut butter, chili sauce and cilantro paired with grilled chicken.

The prices have irked a few customers, "but we use local bread, good cheese and great, natural meats," Titchener said. "You get what you pay for."

Still, "business is really good so far. It's exactly where I want it to be," Titchener said. "We did a soft opening, and we haven't really advertised until just today. We'll see from here."

The lunch crowds have already been promising, "and I feel like we're equipped to make it get-in-get-out. We have a to-go counter, and the business crowd seems to really like it."

The dining room is a study in urban chic, but with a playful edge. The concrete floors, exposed wooden rafters, brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows are paired with Titchener's use of mismatched, brightly painted dining furniture, bold colors and even a wall-length shelf full of books and board games.

"I wanted this place to be kid-friendly," she said. "I know a lot of places around here aren't that, but this is definitely a place where you could come hang out, bring the kids."

"It's about relaxing and good food," she added.

Though she hasn't seen final numbers, Titchener estimated that build out for the nearly 5,000-SF, 100-seat restaurant rang up at less than $100,000.

"Besides the windows and the kitchen remodel, there wasn't that much to getting this space ready," she said. "It's a big space, though. It's like a deli on steroids."

The Dilly Deli venture is a 50/50 deal, she said – half Titchener, half Elliot Nelson. Nelson owns several other Tulsa restaurants and bars, including James E. McNellie's Public House and El Guapo's Mexican Cantina, both within view from Dilly Deli's corner at Second and Elgin. Titchener, a 10-year veteran of the local restaurant biz, joined Nelson at McNellie's in 2005.

"He is just a great person to work for," she said. "I always said that if I couldn't work for myself, working for him would be the next best thing."

[forrest]

Wow Biergarten and Trogdor apparently opinions make you guys nuts. You seem to forget the old axiom about opinions and yes they all stink including mine..but oh well at least it caused some discussion..No need to act like a Bolshevik..it is only food and just an opinion.

[mcnellie]

After gathering substantial feedback, we have revised our menu at the Dilly Deli.  We are still serving the same size sandwiches with the same ingredients, however, we have adjusted how we price our sides.  Starting today, we are going to serve chips and a pickle on the side of every sandwich.  Previously, in giving a choice of sides, we had to account for the most expensive sides in our price structure.  Now, the same sides are available for an upcharge, but by including just chips, we were able to reduce our prices by $1.00-2.00 across the board.  I hope this assuages the concerns about the Dilly Deli being too expensive, and hopefully we'll see all of you soon.

In other news, we are now serving breakfast every day! We are opening at 7am Monday through Friday, 8am on Saturday, and 9am on Sunday. Come by for a coffee and a muffin, or a whole meal, whatever suits you.

And thanks again for supporting downtown.

Cheers-
Elliot

[AVERAGE JOE]

After gathering substantial feedback, we have revised our menu at the Dilly Deli.  We are still serving the same size sandwiches with the same ingredients, however, we have adjusted how we price our sides.  Starting today, we are going to serve chips and a pickle on the side of every sandwich.  Previously, in giving a choice of sides, we had to account for the most expensive sides in our price structure.  Now, the same sides are available for an upcharge, but by including just chips, we were able to reduce our prices by $1.00-2.00 across the board.  I hope this assuages the concerns about the Dilly Deli being too expensive, and hopefully we'll see all of you soon.

In other news, we are now serving breakfast every day! We are opening at 7am Monday through Friday, 8am on Saturday, and 9am on Sunday. Come by for a coffee and a muffin, or a whole meal, whatever suits you.

And thanks again for supporting downtown.

Cheers-
Elliot

Thank you for accepting the suggestions and making the above adjustments! I can't speak for anybody else, but my comments were made in the spirit of wanting your establishment to succeed to fullest extent possible. In my opinion, these changes have given your customers the ability to enjoy your product at multiple price points.

I think I'll celebrate this announcement with a big ol' sandwich at lunch this week! 

[godboko71]

After gathering substantial feedback, we have revised our menu at the Dilly Deli.  We are still serving the same size sandwiches with the same ingredients, however, we have adjusted how we price our sides.  Starting today, we are going to serve chips and a pickle on the side of every sandwich.  Previously, in giving a choice of sides, we had to account for the most expensive sides in our price structure.  Now, the same sides are available for an upcharge, but by including just chips, we were able to reduce our prices by $1.00-2.00 across the board.  I hope this assuages the concerns about the Dilly Deli being too expensive, and hopefully we'll see all of you soon.

In other news, we are now serving breakfast every day! We are opening at 7am Monday through Friday, 8am on Saturday, and 9am on Sunday. Come by for a coffee and a muffin, or a whole meal, whatever suits you.

And thanks again for supporting downtown.

Cheers-
Elliot

I want to personally thank you for  listening to your customers, it is very rare, so thank you.

Now on to the review.

Atmosphere:
8.5/10

Service:
9/10

Food overall:
8.5/10

Bread:
8/10

Reply Value... Opps sorry wrong kind of review... Return Visit:
Definitely


Walking in it it is bright and open, very clean, kind of fun,the wait staff  and management are very friendly, don't rush you if your not in a hurry (a big plus for me I never go out if I don't have time, so it is nice they let you set the pace.)

I had a Ruben (on rye,) my lunch mate had a Philly (on a hoagie roll) both where better then I expected. The rye was good, didn't crumble and tasted like of all things rye bread, the hoagie roll was firm and had a bite to it almost perfect mouth feel, best hoagie roll I have had in Tulsa. We both ordered sides, we got slaw and tabouli, they where both good, the tabouli needed a bit more vinegar otherwise both where good.

The price point is on target for most downtown eaters even for lunch, having a wait staff isn't an issue, they ask if your eating in or to-go, and either way YOU set the pace, at least that is how the wait staff treated the people we saw in today.

If they have a Jewish Rye I think I will make my own sandwich next time I am in there.

Hope the next TulsaNow Launch is at Dilly Deli.

I think this is a quick enough place if you need a bite to eat before an event, so keep it in mind!!

When business picks up I hope we can get some extended hours on nights there is stuff going on at the BOK and the ball park or the PAC.

[Kashmir]

I went to Dilly Deli yesterday!  6.49 was very reasonable for what I got, half tomato basil soup, half chicken club.  It was an actual piece of chicken breast seasoned very well.  However, it was _tiny  but that was fine, as I still felt hungry when I left but 20 minutes later realized I actually was full.  I preferred the quality of quantity.  It was so cute inside and I loved the oldies playing.  For  a dinner I would get a whole sandwich and add a cup of soup.  My iced tea tasted like actual tea, very good and refreshing!

My only regret is that I didn't ask for some mayo or honey mustard to go with the club but next time I will.  I tried it without this time to try the "creation" and didn't want to be a snot and mess it up.  So many sandwiches to try....

[sgrizzle]

I went and tried a different sandwich. This one, with chips and a pickle, was $8.50. A soft drink was $2 so $11.37 with tax for today's meal. Cheaper, but not "OMG" cheaper. I would say it's a reasonable price point for a "premium" sandwich.

[TheTed]

According to their latest ad in Urban Tulsa Weekly, the Dilly Deli hours are:
7am-8pm Monday-Thursday
7am-10pm Friday
8am-10pm Saturday
9am-6pm Sunday

Obviously business only stay open when they're making money, but I'm a little disappointed they've pulled back fairly drastically on their late-night hours so soon after opening. I even attempted to go there at 1130pm the first Saturday night they were open. I think they were closed, but you can't even really tell from outside so maybe they were open. Sometimes I wonder whether businesses ever even stay open 'til their advertised closing time before deciding to close earlier.

One thing I've noticed: It's really hard to tell if they're open. There's not much light or lighted signage on the outside. Everytime I've been by there at night the only indication whether they're open has been the shadows of customers in the window. Really need to do a better job of looking open, having a big lighted sign or open sign or something.

[AngieB]

I mentioned the dark window thing to Dru the first Saturday night after they opened. They were aware of it and she said they were going to work on it, so I dunno...

I understand needing the darker windows because of the glare in the daytime. I guess they need some neon or something outside.

[orion]

They will find their groove on times..They are probably discovering when the dead periods are and adjusting as necessary..it's a guessing game at times..if finding that the late night crowd isn't there then no reason to pay for staff and utilities..this time of the year is transitional anyway and probably readjust again when weather settles down..gee whiz, he has 2 other venues and each one has their own type of dynamic.

[mrburns918]

Visited Dilly's again, it being about my 8th time last Friday at lunch time. Not a great experience this time around, the waitress informed us that they were out of Cheddar, waited almost 40 minutes for our food. You are right, every place needs to find it's groov and I will be back at Dilly's. It's just hard to swallow that $13 and something change when things like that happen.

Mr. Burns

They will find their groove on times..They are probably discovering when the dead periods are and adjusting as necessary..it's a guessing game at times..if finding that the late night crowd isn't there then no reason to pay for staff and utilities..this time of the year is transitional anyway and probably readjust again when weather settles down..gee whiz, he has 2 other venues and each one has their own type of dynamic.

[TURobY]

I dropped by to grab a sandwhich on my way to work on Saturday. I had the chicken cordon-bleu, which was very tasty. But I would recommend not getting a hot sandwhich to go though, as the bread was soggy by the time I got to my office.