Steinert High alumnus Todd O’Grady sits in his Ewing establishment, Deli-Licious Cafe, March 4, 2010. (Staff photo by Myles Ma.)
For Todd O’Grady, owner of Deli-Licious Cafe, there’s not much to running a successful food establishment.
“Throw stuff out that’s bad, you buy stuff that’s good,” he said. “You buy good food, you get a good product.”
O’Grady said everything at the cafe is fresh and homemade, down to the chicken salad, a customer favorite. O’Grady said he can barely keep up with demand for it.
The fresh and homemade philosophy applies to specials, which include a daily soup and occasionally, tacos, made with homemade sauce and guacamole. O’Grady said he would be adding them, along with other specials, to the new menu he is formulating.
“All my specials catch on,” he said.
By Myles Ma
The new menu will coincide with the cafe’s third anniversary, which was March 29. O’Grady, 27, had worked at an Italian restaurant in Hamilton for nine years before deciding to strike out on his own and purchase Christie’s Cafe in the Glen Roc Shopping Center.
O’Grady has worked in restaurants since he was 12, working at the Airport Diner in Ocean City before moving to Hamilton in 1996. After graduating from Steinert High School in 2000, he studied cooking at Mercer County Community College.
Deli-Licious has no trouble attracting a lunch crowd, in part thanks to the University Paninis, named after local colleges like The College of New Jersey, Rider and Princeton. O’Grady said naming the sandwiches, while not necessarily appealing to school pride, help make the paninis more memorable in customers’ minds.
Now O’Grady hopes to expand the catering side of his business. To entice potential catering customers, he wants to have longer hours and offer takeout dinner specials a few times a week.
O’Grady said that while many catering services cost about $25 per person, he will perform the same service for half that price for showers, christenings and other occasions.
O’Grady has offered catering since the business opened. O’Grady can cater for up to 50 people at Deli-Licious and he has catered for as many as 400 people in outside locations.
The breakfast menu will also get a boost, O’Grady said. He wants to offer 20 different breakfast sandwiches, including a grilled flatiron steak and egg sandwich. He also plans to have fresh pork roll on hand in the morning.
The emphasis will be on variety.
“Whatever you can think of, I want to put it on a roll,” O’Grady said.
O’Grady said there are many advantages to owning a business in Ewing. The area has many businesses and corporate complexes, and their many employees provide a large customer base.
“There’s a lot of positives for this kind of business,” O’Grady said.
Deli-Licious is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (609) 883-1162.
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