Local business donates $5K to help deli stay afloat
NORWALK — The Plaza Deli’s owners can breathe a bit easier following slowed business from the pandemic, thanks to a $5,000 donation from another local business.
Located in the main lobby of the 50 Washington St. corporate building, the deli has survived 20 years mainly on catering and lunches for the businesses and employees in the office building.
But when the coronavirus pandemic struck, the deli, like many businesses, was forced to close for months. After reopening in May, deli owner Ralph Gencarelli was faced with business depleting to 25 percent its normal rate, as many companies have yet to return to the office.
“It was very depressing at first,” Gencarelli said. “The summer started off really slow and we got a PPP (Payback Protection Program loan) which was fantastic, it helped tremendously. Then, I would reach out to my contacts at these corporations and they’d be like, ‘OK we will come back in July, then June, then holding off until September.”
Business has begun to creep up, but remains at about 50 percent what it was pre-pandemic, Gencarelli said.
Plaza Deli applied for a $5,000 coronavirus relief grant offered through the city at the beginning of the year, but the winners were selected through a raffle and Gencarelli’s restaurant wasn’t chosen.
Then, a longtime customer and executive at one of the area’s companies, Logic Source founder David Pennino, donated the $5,000 Gencarelli would have received from the raffle.
“I said I just was involved with the Norwalk grant thing and didn’t get it,” Gencarelli explained. “(Pennino) said, ‘How much was it for? I want to give you $5,000. You do a lot of work for us.’ It was unbelievable.”
While the deli wasn’t on the brink of closure, Gencarelli said the donation allows him to breathe easier. The funds will be put toward paying rent and unpaid bills accumulated from during the months the deli was closed.
“Being a business owner right now, during these times, it’s very volatile,” Gencarelli said. “When you see people coming in, you’re very happy, but when you go an hour without seeing someone it’s very depressing. You don’t know throughout the day how your day is going to be.”
The raffle was held on Feb. 18, and Pennino stopped by the deli a few days later, Gencarelli said. By Feb. 26, the $5,000 had been wired to Gencarelli, Logic Source Chief Financial Officer Niki Heim said.
Like most industries, Logic Source’s business suffered during the pandemic, but not to the same degree as restaurants and businesses like Gencarelli’s, Heim said.
“We know they took a significant hit,” Heim said. “We opened the office on a voluntary basis in July, so we all try to go over there and support them as much as possible, ordering lunch for office to give some additional business.”
Heim said Gencarelli didn’t ask for assistance and was hesitant to accept at first. Logic Source doesn’t have the means to donate $5,000 to other businesses, but Heim said Gencarelli and his employees feel like family.
“They are our people,” Heim said. “We felt if there
were any little things we could do, we wanted to do it to help them out. They never reached out. We are all very close. It was a conversation at the deli counter.”
Gencarelli contacted the mayor’s office to alert Mayor Harry Rilling of Pennino and Logic Source’s good deeds, to which Rilling commended the donation.
“When times are good or when times are rough, you can always count on Norwalkers to be there for each other,” Rilling said.