Front St. Deli is back from renovations
After more than three years of renovations, one of the oldest delis in Memphis is finally nearing a grand reopening.
Originally established in 1976, Front St. Deli closed for renovations back in 2020. Thanks in part to local management group Tandem Restaurant Partners they're back, and after tasting a sandwich, you'd think they never left. Currently still in the soft opening phase, the deli is open 6:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. seven days a week.
Ken Hooper is the mind behind Front St. Deli's sandwiches and sides, both new and old. He said he's getting his process down and testing out sandwich ideas to see what customers latch onto before fully opening.
“We kept the pimento cheese and bacon sandwich, that's sort of iconic,” Hooper said. One of his favorites is the Italiano, one of their better-selling sandwiches. “It's got an aged, kind of higher end [taste]. It's got the capocollo, prosciutto, provolone… it's not salami and pepperoni. But we're really proud of all of these."
“To me it doesn't get better than the tomato bread,” said Julien Salley, COO of Tandem Restaurant Partners. It's used on the Jack & Lui, which comes with house-smoked sliced turkey and paprika mayo.
The tomato bread alongside other fresh bread comes from Hive Bagel & Deli just a few blocks down Front Street. “We're a small local business, they're a small local business, so it makes sense to support each other,” Salley said.
Other popular meals include the Cubano Mempho and the “gourmet hot dogs.” The name isn't just for show: The dogs are made with 100% sirloin. Hooper said there's also a greater focus on quality sides than most delis.
“On the side front [Ken] is also doing this baked potato casserole that's ridiculous, that keeps flying off the shelves,” Salley said. Other sides include mac & cheese, mustard potato salad, pasta salad and three bean salad.
While the quality of the food remains, Hooper said certain changes had to be made, considering the drastically increased price of food compared to 2020.
“On the old menu, a lot of the sandwiches had 11, 12 ingredients on them, and you can't do that,” he said. “So we kind of revamped a lot of our food — higher-quality ingredients, and not so many of them. It's a super high-quality sandwich, but yeah, it's not going to have four different kinds of cheese on it,” he said laughing.
Hooper knows what he's doing. Before coming to Front St. Deli, he controlled food production at Growlers, another place affiliated with Tandem Restaurant Partners. He said he much prefers the quieter environment at the deli.
When it comes to the deli's renovations, Salley said “just about everything” has changed. The façade is now all glass, letting in plenty of natural light. While still a tiny space, only leaving room for a “grab and go” business model, Hooper has maximized the usability of the space, allowing room for new sandwichmaking equipment. Outdoor seating is also being considered.
One thing that hasn't changed is the back wall of the store, which was once the outside of the building. It's made of brick from the original building, erected in 1853. The original steamer was saved as well. “That what originally made this place famous way back in the day,” Salley said.
“A steamed sub is kind of a Southern deli thing, it keeps the bread kind of soft,” Hooper said. “We get requests for that a lot.”
A noticeable change for visitors of the old deli is the removal of Tom Cruise references. Part of the 1993 Cruise film "The Firm" was filmed at Front St. Deli. But that time has passed.
What isn't gone is Ken Hooper and Front St. Deli's ability to produce some of the highest-quality sandwiches in Memphis.
Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com .