Jason's Deli is an American chain of
fast casual
A fast casual restaurant, found primarily in the United States and Canada, is a restaurant that does not offer full table service, but advertises higher quality food than fast-food restaurants, with fewer frozen or processed ingredients. It is a ...
restaurants founded in 1976 in
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...
, by Joe Tortorice, Jr. There are currently over 245 locations in 29 states. The menu includes
sandwiches
A sandwich is a dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''container'' or ...
,
wraps, baked
potatoes
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
,
pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...
,
soups,
salads
A salad is a Dish (food), dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called ''salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of ...
, and
desserts
Dessert is a course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create des ...
, as well as
catering
Catering is the business of providing food services at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio.
History of catering
The earliest account of major service ...
items such as boxed lunches.
History
It was founded in
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...
on 30 November 1976 by Joe Tortorice Jr. and his partners Rusty Coco, Pete Verde and Pat Broussard. It was named for Tortorice's eldest son, Jay.
Joe and Rusty grew up in the food business. Their fathers owned neighborhood grocery stores in Beaumont. The original Jason's Deli location is still in operation at its original location at 112 Gateway St. The chain started franchising in 1988, with the first franchised store opened in
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
.
As of September 2019, there were 295 locations in 29 states.
As of August 2008, Jason's Deli ranked #1 in annual sales in QSR Magazine's Top Ten list of restaurant groups with under 300 locations. The parent company, Deli Management, Inc., owns the majority of the deli restaurants.
In 2019, Joe died after a 19-month battle with cancer. He was 70.
Menu
The company offers a standard deli style menu including traditional sandwiches such as
Po'boys and
muffalettas. Each deli has a salad bar and a daily soup selection. They also serve other items, such as baked potatoes, pastas and salads. The restaurants also have a free ice cream station.
In April 2005, the company completed a five-year plan to eliminate added
trans-fats from its menu. In October 2008, the company eliminated
high fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose, and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzy ...
from its food.
Additionally, the company has eliminated
MSG from all of its food.
Jason's Deli has also introduced gluten-free products. The deli also has ice cream for its customers, free of charge.
Awards
Jason's Deli won the 2008 Nation's Restaurant News Golden Chain Award, and Restaurants & Institutions’ 2007 and 2006 Consumers’ Choice in Chains Gold Award in the sandwich segment.
Locations
Jason's Deli is found in 27 states.
* Alabama
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* Colorado
* Florida
* Georgia
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maryland
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Mexico
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Pennsylvania
* South Carolina
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Virginia
* Wisconsin
See also
*
List of delicatessens
This is a list of notable delicatessens. A delicatessen is a Retail, retail establishment that sells a selection of unusual or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany during the 1700s. They later spread to the United Kingdom ...
References
External links
Jason's Deli WebsiteNation's Restaurant News profile on Joseph V. Tortorice Jr.
{{Fast-food chains of the United States
Restaurants established in 1976
Fast casual restaurants
Restaurants in Texas
Companies based in Beaumont, Texas
Fast-food chains of the United States
1976 establishments in Texas
Delicatessens in the United States