Volume 67, Issue 7

Iggy’s Buys Out KSD in New Attempt for Successful Meat Restaurant Uptown
by Alexander Chester

The kosher food market around Wilf Campus has been in flux over the last two years, and things just got more confusing, as Papa Iggy’s Deli recently bought out Kosher Deli Sub and opened a larger store on Amsterdam Avenue last week.

2553 Amsterdam, the spot which for the late ‘90s was known as Deli Kasbah and was a hangout of those seeking a quality meat dinner with a Crown Heights ambience, has now undergone its fourth ownership change since 1999.

Papa Iggy’s Deli was opened by Yeshiva student Danny Kahn and his brothers Ian and Freddie in 2000. Renting space on 187th and Amsterdam from Santa Cruz Grocery, known to many as the Far Bodega, Iggy’s was initially just a late-night deli joint. After a successful two years at that location, however, ownership is committed to making the jump into the mainstream by joining “the Strip” that goes across Amsterdam at 186th Street, the favorite eating locale of MTA students, campus guests, and Yeshiva students who have drained their caf-card or are just looking for a change of pace.

After the opening of the “Makolet,” the quick opening and closing of Kaffeine, and the changes in ownership of Strip mainstays Time Out Pizza and Grandma’s Cookie Jar (now Tully’s Place), the Kahns can move into their new location with the confidence of being the longest tenured restaurateur on the block.

The Kahn brothers, who have increasingly depended on their parents to work behind the counter, initially offered deli sandwiches, meatball subs, and fried chicken. The store was literally a whole in the wall, and the location – technically “off campus” – affected sales, as many dared not venture so far out to get dinner, especially knowing that with nowhere to sit, the food would have to be dragged all the way back to the dorms.

But the store built a cult following among apartment residents, as well as those who appreciated its late hours (generally Iggy’s is the only establishment with ready-made food open past 8 PM, let alone after midnight).

At about the same time as the opening of Iggy’s, Deli Kasbah was sold to an Israeli entrepreneur known only as Ezra, who opened up Kosher Deli Sub, which was an immediate success because of cheap prices (as low as four dollars for a sub) and the cleaner atmosphere. Kasbah had offered arguably the best food on campus, but its prices matched those at the cafeteria, and without a caf-card option, Kasbah was simply beyond the budgets of many students. Furthermore, the service was abrupt and sometimes aggressive, though the ever-present Lubavitcher rebbe video on display was appreciated by some.

KDS eventually fell by the wayside too, as the crowds thinned out after the novelty wore off. Whichever meat restaurant has opened on campus, it has not been able to compete with the cafeteria, where students have $1800 a year they have to spend anyway. Thus, the restaurants have usually been dependant on MTA students and guests to the Wilf Campus.

But with the high school’s enrollment declining, there are less daily customers. Many are doubtful about how Iggy’s will manage to succeed where others two other ventures failed.

Iggy’s has always had a casual feel to it, with inconsistent hours and a phone line that rarely works (though that number remains in their Commentator advertisements). Now that they have made it to the Strip, their challenge is to improve their product to match the new location. Further, how they will attract more business than KDS did is on the minds of many, especially since they have less competitive prices, with their least expensive sandwich currently costing $5.50.

In response, the Kahns promise that in addition to staying loyal to the current menu, expansions will be added with steak sandwiches, chicken dishes, Chinese, Mexican, soups, salads, and wraps all offered at reduced prices.

Additionally, the new store will be open seven days a week, with late-night service throughout and delivery to local addresses. “We are very optimistic that we will succeed in the bigger location,” says Ellie Kahn, adding that in addition to hoping for loyalty from old customers, the new location will enable the store to bring in new crowds.

But such optimism is not shared by some students. “I think they will open big,” said Yeshiva College sophomore Michael Rosman. “But like Deli Kasbah and KDS, Papa Iggy’s will fall apart when people get used to it.”

The Kahns hope that the expanded menu will prevent that. “Chinese would make a killing,” mentioned Sy Syms sophomore Uri Burger, pointing to the success of Morg Mart’s weekly Chinese Night as an example of Yeshiva students’ affinity for that food.

The restaurant will have to weather the winter break in the beginning, but hopes are high that when the second semester starts, students will make Papa Iggy’s a consistent choice for lunch and dinner. “Iggy’s is awesome,” says SSSB junior David Epstein. “This is what campus needs, a place that will be hopping all night to replace the dead end on the Strip’s north side.”¨

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