Woodside Deli to close in October

“Combined with ever-rising health care costs (Woodside Deli has provided insurance coverage to full-time staff for years), the rising cost and shrinking availability of staff. … The numbers just don’t add up,” Vogel said in a statement. “It sucks. This is obviously not what I wanted to happen when I took over the deli in 2017. But the reality of being in Redwood City in 2019 is unavoidable.” 

Vogel said retaining employees in an area with such a high cost of living is the main reason why the deli is closing with the rent increase being the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“The rent hike was actually a gift,” he said. “Without the rent increase I might’ve been tempted to keep pushing, but it would have been death by 1,000 cuts.”

Vogel said all of his employees live at home or in special circumstances to remain in the area. And while he’s struggled to retain workers and has seen plenty of turnover since he took over the business, some of his staff have been with the deli their entire career.

“Some have not known any other job and this will hurt them a lot and that makes me sad,” he said. 

The closure also comes about a year after the deli underwent a significant renovation that included new floors and a new plumbing and electrical system as well as a restroom that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Located at 1453 Woodside Road, the deli has bee serving custom-built sandwiches, sliced meat and specialty products imported from Italy since 1958. 

The community’s response to the closure has been overwhelming, Vogel said. 

“It’s been overwhelming to hear from people on the edge of tears saying what this store has meant to them — grown adults who have been coming here since high school,” he said. “It’s touching, amazing.”

Since the closure was announced, customers have been pouring in and from as far as Auburn to order their final Woodside Deli sandwich.

Vogel said one customer who grew up in Redwood City and moved to Southern California gets turkey salad and Dutch crunch rolls shipped to him for his birthday every year. Vogel would also regularly mail salami to a customer in Indiana. 

“To be steward of that last couple years was so gratifying,” he said. “It’s disappointing I’m the one holding the bag when the music stops, that stinks, but people have been wonderful about it.” 

Vogel was a regular and an employee before he took over the business. Prior to 2017, the deli was owned by the Galinetti family for 48 years.  

Vogel said he’ll miss serving Redwood City.

“I enjoyed it. I love the interaction with customers and the food. Every day is predictable and different at the same time,” he said. “What people are feeling today about Woodside Deli and they’ve felt this about other places — this is not the place I grew up and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a booming economy in some sectors, but it hits this corner of economy in a way that doesn’t help.” 

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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