Michael R.
Yelp
From New Hope to Bucks County, to Huntington Valley, Yardley, to Jenkintown, Willow Grove, Lansdale, The Main Line, to Center City, South Jersey to Delaware, if you want delicious and delightful, look no further than the best around, Steve Stein's Famous Deli. Stein's Famous Deli has been in business for over 50 years. Not to age myself, I've been a customer for over 40! Why? When anyone has been a customer of any business for at least several years, and they haven't stayed because they're complacent or there aren't options that are much better (think about Cable or Mobile Phone Companies), the business must be doing something to make that customer loyal. If a business is so good, that customers want to recommend it to others, the company has created a "brand advocate". How does a business succeed for generations? They create, maintain, and build upon their "brand equity".
Many people in life are myopic. In the business world, at almost every company, they cut corners, and/or they aren't consistent, and/or they don't know how to problem-solve effectively, and/or their customer service is a nightmare experience. In business school, when you have to study economics, you often find out that you can succeed by charging a lot of customers prices with lower profit margins l, or charging fewer customers higher prices Stein's has chosen the reason price route to success. I'm going to spare you the Yiddish, because regardless of where you come from, what gender you identify with, if you practice a religion, or what race you are- there's one thing people can enjoy blindly or with little to no hearing- that's FOOD. When it comes to the deli business, Steven Stein has his Doctorate, PHD, and more. Why? Because you consistently get fresh and delicious deli at prices that are the most reasonable WITHOUT SACRIFICING QUALITY.
Stein is a class act. The reason: I've probably said to him 20 times, "Steve, I've eaten at most of the best deli's in the United States. I can honestly tell you that from Delaware to South Jersey to at least Northeastern Pennsylvania, there's NOT a deli around that gives their customers fantastic quality, overall, at reasonable prices like you get at your deli." Every time, his response is something to the tone of, "I have nothing bad to say about any of my competitors, They're all great."
To be objective, ALL DELIS ARE NOT GREAT. Steve Stein's Famous Deli is EXCELLENT. Steve and his son, Lee, run a fine tuned business. They don't sacrifice quality at the expense of affordable mouth-watering fresh deli. Many delis import smoked fish from the same company. Yet, the discrepancy in price can be upwards of 50% extra. Where can you go and, usually, buy FRESHLY SLICED Lox (Nova, Nova Belly, Regular) or Moist Fresh Kippered Salmon at UNDER $20 A POUND? Where can you get FRESHLY PREPARED Corned Beef or Pastrami BETWEEN $11-$16 PER POUND. From store-made blintzes, latkes, and chopped liver that taste like your bubbe made it, a trip to Stein's is nothing short of devine!