Jerry's Famous Deli was a chain of Jewish

delicatessen Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...

s. The original deli was founded in

Studio City, Los Angeles Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

, in 1978 by Isaac Starkman and Jerry Seidman. The CEO was Starkman's son, Guy Starkman. While the chain is no longer operating, there is a single similar location, Jerry's Patio Cafe & Bar, in Marina del Rey, CA is now owned by Jonathan and Mandy Mitchell. The deli chain is noted for its celebrity clientele, which has included

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

, and the cast of ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

''.

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...

once worked at the Studio City deli as a busboy.

Locations

At one time, there were Jerry's Famous Deli locations in Encino, Studio City, CA, Marina del Rey, Westwood Village (near UCLA), and as well as Costa Mesa, CA, Woodland Hills, CA, and Beverly Hills, CA. On May 18, 2002, the original Jerry's Famous Deli in

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

sustained a fire which caused the building $2,000,000 worth of damage. The location reopened on September 16, 2003, with the founders present as well as Los Angeles City Councilman

Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a politician from Los Angeles County, California. He was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from District 3, which includes the San Fernando Valley, the Westside of Los Angeles and ...

and celebrities such as actor

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

. On March 20 2012, the

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of t ...

branch of Jerry's Famous Deli closed permanently after the landlord did not renew the restaurant's lease. On May 31, 2013, the Beverly locale, which had been extant 20 years, closed permanently. On October 16, 2016, the Woodland Hills Jerry's Famous Deli closed permanently. On August 25, 2020, the Jerry's Famous Deli in Marina del Rey reopened as Jerry's Patio Cafe & Bar, offering outdoor dining and takeout, in order to continue operation amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Although not officially named Jerry's Famous Deli, this location is now also closed. Its website says it will be back one day. On October 30, 2020, the original Jerry's Famous Deli in Studio City closed permanently due to the

. It had been extant for 42 years.

References

External links

* {{coord, 34.144730, -118.409118, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title Jewish delicatessens in the United States Defunct restaurants in Los Angeles Defunct Jewish delicatessens Jews and Judaism in California Restaurants established in 1978 1978 establishments in California Jews and Judaism in Los Angeles

Locations

See also

References

External links