Iconic Manny's Deli Pleads for Support on Social Media

A South Loop classic is reaching out for support:

We are struggling. This isn’t a joke. Support your fav deli for dinner tonight. Thx

— Manny's Deli (@mannysdeli) July 14, 2020

The Tribune also posted about this tweet and interviewed the owner:

“We started doing deliveries when everything was closed, the suburbs more than the city,” said Raskin, a suburbanite himself. “We’d find the customers and bring the food to them. People weren’t even getting to groceries then, so no-contact delivery worked well.” 

Manny’s still does carryout and delivery, parking the logo-painted van in a parking lot where people could drive over, pop open the trunk and have the food placed inside. The North Shore suburbs were a reliable source of business. 

But business, as the Facebook post indicates, has been declining. “Since things have gotten better (for restaurants), there’s way more competition, and orders dropped a lot,” Raskin said. “I just want to remind people that we’re still doing this stuff.” 

Suburban orders are crucial to Manny’s, Raskin said, because Loop offices are sparsely occupied. Downtown lunch business, especially at lunch, has dried up.

Even if you're not in the mood for a big sandwich, think about a t-shirt or gift card.  It would be a big blow if this classic institution had to close up.