View Full Version : New Deli in the City Centre
We are opening a new deli in the City Centre and could do with some comments on what you would want us to stock.
The aim is to stock 60/70% locally sourced products from the region. The business will also have a coffee offering and probably a hot food option.
Any comments would be a great help !!
clogginchris 08-02-2006, 15:58 As someone who lives in the City Centre I think this is a great idea! Whereabouts will you be?
its gping to be on campo lane in the new chimes building
officegirl 08-02-2006, 16:14 chatworths stocks a good varitity of stuff so anything similar would be great for me - i do love the tracklement sauces they have espec the salsa its great on everything, its the make of chutneys and sauces that all bar one use to use when they had the large condiment trays.
is the hot food section and coffee area going to be big enough for sunday relaxing with newspapers ? because that would be lovely
oh yes ! locally smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, the old english breakfast and fresh bread baked on site
ummm good bread... that would get me in the door
natasha77 08-02-2006, 16:44 mmm smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel,
Kthebean 08-02-2006, 16:46 Let me know if you need any part time staff :)
You might be up against competition from the Fig Tree, they are always busy. Are you going to be on the corner, other side of the road from Rush Hour?
cold meats that are not water filled rubbish.
If you are doing lunch stuff then mine is huge amounts of houmous in pitta bread with shreaded white and red cabbage. Ummmmmmmmmmmm
franc1987 08-02-2006, 19:24 ********************************
susiepoosie 08-02-2006, 19:51 Oooh, goats cheese and onion tartlets are scrummy! I'll be in if you have those :hihi:
RobWilson 09-02-2006, 09:01 Anything like "Love Saves The Day" in Manchester would be great.
It's my favourite "deli" in the North.
http://www.lovesavestheday.co.uk
PS. They're opening another place on Deansgate on the 14th.
SheffBloke 09-02-2006, 09:28 mmm smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel,
I'll second that.....:thumbsup:
Rob its going to be similar concept but more of a contemporary feel. Although the website is not completed yet there is some images on the site at www.urbandeli.co.uk let me know what you think...
Bobski121 09-02-2006, 10:00 If you were to stock those fantastic flavoursome Polish Sausages I would be sorely tempted to stray from my diet!!!?!?
meersbrook 09-02-2006, 10:23 This sounds like it's going to be a great addition - especially in the City Centre, thanks for posting.
I guess personally I'd like to see lots of lovely breads on offer - that would hit the spot big time (though unfortunately I work in Chesterfield so won't be often able to check out the Deli - sorry!)
Good luck with it anyway.
Mmm.... mmm... mmm ! Kekeke...
Well, if you are after local sources, I'd say foodstuff like cheese would be nice. I know that whenever I'm in Leeds, I try and frequent their monthly farmer's market. Full of local homemade stuff. e.g. cheese, chutney, bread, cakes... If 60% is from local foodstuff, and the other 40% to be from the Continent, I think you have a winner recipe there !
Best of luck with your business.
This sounds like an excellent venture!
Can I suggest a good range of the 'Yabba' sauces? They are made in Sheffield down by the United ground and we get through them by the bucket load - if I can't catch them at the Farmers Market and we run out it can be a bit disastrous!
Interesting bread and cheese is definitely good, especially local and/or organic!
Cheers
Cis
hounsfieldjr 09-02-2006, 13:28 About time we had something like this in the centre.
If you can stock up on organic local meat, fresh bread and bakery products, quality local veg, English regional cheeses, English regional specialities like Hendersons, good quality traditional English stuff like bacon, black pudding and sausage, home-made (not bought in) puddings, and English wine, beer and cider, you'll make a fortune out of me!
:thumbsup:
We have sourced about 25 regional cheeses with the majority award winners. This will also be supported by a range of sausage, bacon and cutting meats.
All these products will be used in a range of sandwiches at lunchtime as well as fresh pasta and tapas.
It sounds like we might have a few customers in when we open in March/April. Look forward to meeting you all then and hopefully stocking loads of goodies you will enjoy...:thumbsup:
oh we will be looking for staff in the coming weeks so if you interested in working with us please drop me a mail
I really hope you'll do well, and that's from a businesses' perspective. With Sheffield, the pricing has also got to be spot on. Being in the city centre, and all that. I know a lot of small independent businesses are folding near the Chapel Walk area, and a few restaurants will be hit when they regenerate the areas near Debenhams. I hope you don't mind me being frank, as I also have a relative who have a business in the city centre, and they will be hit with this regeneration. I think that if you can get a core group of clienteles, and beat the prices which are charged at farmer's market, you will be a definite hit. Best of luck. (Even then hopefully even the council cannot kick u away just like that cos it's businesses to the community!)
chickmonk 09-02-2006, 14:29 Chorizo sausages and lovely ham!
(dead excited about this, only work round t'corner!)
CM x
pete_jim 09-02-2006, 15:09 I really wanted to do this a few years ago, I think there is a massive market particularly since they started all the 'urban regeneration'.
The biggest growth area in food retail is convenience foods and this ties in well with the city living thing. Ready meals using proper ingredients freshly made each day with no preservatives and not gas packed with sell by dates into the next millenium.
There was a place off the Edgeware Road I went for a look at a couple of years ago that had it spot on. Instead of a fridge with umptymillion cheeses they had one huge cheese on a marble slab 'Cheese of the Week'. Everyone knew it would be fabulous so the fact that they only offered a good Cheddar and Parmesan as alternatives didn't matter. They did the same with the cake 'Cake of the Day' - sold by weight, fresh each day. No one bothered about which cheese or cake they were going to have but more - Ooooo I wonder what todays cake will be? They did a soup when it was cold and gave away samples in tiny waxed espresso cups to anyone in the vicinity. There's loads more ideas but I'd have to kill you if I listed them all. Said we wouldn't go back into catering/food but never say never.
Going on the replies already Bread looks like being a good thing to stock! You'll end up with a great list of what everyone thinks they want which you will laugh about in years to come. You need is a vision of what you want to achieve, loads of enthusiasm and some imagination.
All deli-esque type shops seem to be near Ecclesall Rd though. If one is in the city centre, it will be a hit with your typical housewife type too. As long as prices are right, cos if you think about it, every supermarket have a delicatessans. You have to be pretty special in your foodstuff to keep interested eaters who wants fresh food, and 'buy local' mentality to keep coming ! Also, buyer's mentality is quite important too. As I was debating with my bf that he never goes into M&S to buy his food. When he realises that he can get a decent quality cut of meat at a cheaper cost than your average supermarket, he changed his mind. :)
Hm.. I think I got food on the brain, I've been yapping about it all day today.
Oops. :D
karenmcc 09-02-2006, 15:45 Some organic stuff would be good:)
Eggs, bread that kind of thing.
Good olives, chutneys, cheeses, meats, duck eggs, luxury kettle crisps:D
Can't wait.
All deli-esque type shops seem to be near Ecclesall Rd though. If one is in the city centre, it will be a hit with your typical housewife type too. As long as prices are right, cos if you think about it, every supermarket have a delicatessans. You have to be pretty special in your foodstuff to keep interested eaters who wants fresh food, and 'buy local' mentality to keep coming ! Also, buyer's mentality is quite important too. As I was debating with my bf that he never goes into M&S to buy his food. When he realises that he can get a decent quality cut of meat at a cheaper cost than your average supermarket, he changed his mind. :)
Hm.. I think I got food on the brain, I've been yapping about it all day today.
Oops. :D
The thought was that people wanted not only the food option but the service. How many times, been in the city centre have you gone into Supermarkets and been grunted at whilst getting served. We will be looking to set prices at M&S/Waitrose levels but thats because we don't want to squeeze the producers and support there policy of good farming practice. We have agreed with the producers a policy of inculsion and they will be available in store to discuss their experience and knowledge with customers on certain dates !
The deli will be a chilled out environment that is about experience and not just bums on seats...
The supermarkets have highjacked the organic momnent but local producers are resisting been hoovered up with the NEW "it" moment and they are the people we wish to support and work with over the coming years.
I do understand where you are coming from. I just feel that the price range for Sheffield is not that high. Maybe I'm wrong, but all I know is that, even with Waitrose, you will find that they have a lot of 'deals' which attracts people. Rather than a regular supermarket, it's more used for a specialist supermarket. Their range is quite big too, I have to admit. Without that, I don't think generally people will buy it.
"We have agreed with the producers a policy of inculsion and they will be available in store to discuss their experience and knowledge with customers on certain dates !"
I personally think that this is a great idea. I also thought that the farmer's markets and continental markets in Sheffield were also a great idea too, but then I realised that not many people actually do part with their money on them esp when they do charge much higher a price than those found in similar cities. i.e. Manchester/ Leeds. Ironically, I dunno why this is...
I do wish that we do support local sources when it comes to food, but at the same time, (and I know it's to do with supply and demand too), that it is a tad high, cos the demand is not entirely there (yet). I hope Sheffield is one of the cities in this nearby North of England to change that. :)
pete_fcs 09-02-2006, 20:07 new dehli in the city centre?
i always thought it was in india :thumbsup:
pete_jim 10-02-2006, 08:35 You are obviously well on the way with your plans and you deserve to succeed, it's a bold step.
A number of posts refer to the pricing and about keeping it reasonable. Fifteen years ago we were turned down for a loan by the manager of the Nat West Bank on the Wicker. He almost laughed when he said that we would never sell Smoked Salmon sandwiches from a converted railway arch off the Wicker. We did and served them to him at his retirement four or five years later just before they closed the bank down! At that point we had about 9 staff, two vans and another outlet in town.
Good luck to you.
Local cheese please! Also some nice, moist rye bread/pumpernickel. You will be on my walk into town, so you will definitely be getting some of my cash:) Good luck with it.
SheffBloke 10-02-2006, 08:56 You are obviously well on the way with your plans and you deserve to succeed, it's a bold step.
A number of posts refer to the pricing and about keeping it reasonable. Fifteen years ago we were turned down for a loan by the manager of the Nat West Bank on the Wicker. He almost laughed when he said that we would never sell Smoked Salmon sandwiches from a converted railway arch off the Wicker. We did and served them to him at his retirement four or five years later just before they closed the bank down! At that point we had about 9 staff, two vans and another outlet in town.
Good luck to you.
Deli on the Wicker......is it still there.I used to go in there when you first opened for the smoked salmon sandwiches and the cajun chicken sandwiches I worked for a large engineering firm around the corner but left about 1992, a long time ago but I can still remember the food being delicious.
PS......make sure you have a good range of coffee and it's nice.
A decent selection of olives and breads would be a good idea. Also,
as there's a thousand coffee shops in town, how about a range of different
teas? (not at 2 pounds a cup though)
mmmm all sounds very nice - hungry now reading it all!
lots of different chutneys would be great and olives, capers, anchovies, etc.
how about fresh pasta stuffed with the local seasonal produce - same with soup and pasta sauses.
good luck with it :)
The quality of the bread, cheese and cooked meats is absolutely key for me.
You are obviously well on the way with your plans and you deserve to succeed, it's a bold step.
A number of posts refer to the pricing and about keeping it reasonable. Fifteen years ago we were turned down for a loan by the manager of the Nat West Bank on the Wicker. He almost laughed when he said that we would never sell Smoked Salmon sandwiches from a converted railway arch off the Wicker. We did and served them to him at his retirement four or five years later just before they closed the bank down! At that point we had about 9 staff, two vans and another outlet in town.
Good luck to you.
I don't think he retired he simply moved to Lloyds TSB !!! We had the same reaction when we approached them about the idea last year. Thanks so much to everyone thats posted to date and i don't think that you will be disappointed when we throw open the doors
hounsfieldjr 10-02-2006, 17:24 One thing I've always thought local retail businesses should do is change their opening hours. We often hear that butchers, bakers, fishmongers (in fact any kind of monger) are closing because they can't compete with the supermarkets. I think most people would much prefer to give their money to a local business, but choose supermarkets because most local shops close at 5.00pm.
The economy has changed so much, and most of us work long, boring 9-5 hours, usually behind a desk. Most people do their shopping at night or at weekends. If local shops opened Spanish-style hours, eg. 10-2 and 4-8, I reckon business would boom in those last 2 hours of the day.
Anyway, that's my tip for what it's worth!
tom_common 10-02-2006, 18:09 Hey. The food sounds good, and it will be ace to get people from town coming down to this end. Hopefully be a spark to bringing the whole area into people's heads, so well done.
Sorry to sound a bum note, but I don't think your branding is as good as it could be. Love Saves the Day stands out as a really creative name and way of presenting yourself, avoiding the whole generic urban/silhouettes of urbanites/inoffensive colour scheme. I think that urban this and easy luxury lifestyle that is pretty bland now.
But I'll still pay a bit more for a nice sandwich.
One thing I've always thought local retail businesses should do is change their opening hours. We often hear that butchers, bakers, fishmongers (in fact any kind of monger) are closing because they can't compete with the supermarkets. I think most people would much prefer to give their money to a local business, but choose supermarkets because most local shops close at 5.00pm.
The economy has changed so much, and most of us work long, boring 9-5 hours, usually behind a desk. Most people do their shopping at night or at weekends. If local shops opened Spanish-style hours, eg. 10-2 and 4-8, I reckon business would boom in those last 2 hours of the day.
Anyway, that's my tip for what it's worth!
Totally agree..... We are looking to trail the opening hours of 7.30am - 7.30pm Monday - Friday. This gives people time to chill out after work and not feel they are going to get rushed to leave. If people want it we will stay open later but thats down to you guys.....
Local honey would be nice, too.
It'll be nice to have something next door, and the more things on campo lane the better for all concerned :)
Good Luck and I'm sure we'll get to know each other over the next few months :)
abitbarking 15-02-2006, 14:07 Bread Bread Bread
I'm living in Adelaide at the moment and we have a great market here with loads of deli type stalls. They sell loads of different pestos and tapenades. As well as your common or garden basil pesto there's pepper, sundried tomato and chilli pesto, coriander pesto and loads of others i can't even remember. They're all freshly made which i think is the key because the stuff in jars is vile.
They also have every type of stuffed olive. We had olives stuffed with brie the other day which i've never seen before but were absolutely delicious!
I'd also like to see a good selection of cured meats/sausages like they have at the continental markets on fargate. I always spent a fortune when they were on stocking up on chorizos etc.
Back in Sheffield in September so i'll come and check you out.
charleneleak 16-03-2006, 08:10 There is a questionnaire on the website and if you complete it you can get a 10% discount when the shop opens.
http://www.urbandeli.co.uk/frame.htm
It only works with Flash but it doesn't take very long.
rocketman 16-03-2006, 09:16 Can't wait till it opens and will hopefully become a regular. But why oh why did you have to build your site in flash? Unaccessible to lots of people, very 1990s and just a bit annoying.
blackcat 16-03-2006, 10:23 We have sourced about 25 regional cheeses with the majority award winners. This will also be supported by a range of sausage, bacon and cutting meats.
All these products will be used in a range of sandwiches at lunchtime as well as fresh pasta and tapas.
It sounds like we might have a few customers in when we open in March/April. Look forward to meeting you all then and hopefully stocking loads of goodies you will enjoy...:thumbsup:
oh we will be looking for staff in the coming weeks so if you interested in working with us please drop me a mail
Well, I for one will be at your door on the first day - I work in the block next door to you !!!! I think our office block will use you loads, and as the flats are sold you will get a great trade. The very best of luck to you!
Sounds like you've got lots of good ideas already and I look forward to visiting it. I'd echo the point about not going for cheapo stuff. Despite what many people say, Sheffield does have lots of people who will happily pay for good quality food, drink and surroundings - and they don't all live within 100 yards of Ecclesall Road (though that's where they have to go most of the time).
I like the cheese of the day/cake of the day idea mentioned above. Delis can be a bit overcomplicated sometimes which can put off some people. So giving people some simple options would be good.
Can't wait till it opens and will hopefully become a regular. But why oh why did you have to build your site in flash? Unaccessible to lots of people, very 1990s and just a bit annoying.
Oh tell me about it... so wish we had gone with a flat html site !!! We are currently working on this and should have something up within a week or so!?!
We are looking at an online ordering system for bulk orders of sandwichs with an express pick up point in store to save the "Q" moment !!! The idea been that you can log on and place your order in the morning... just drop in the shop with no hassle... Any thoughts on this service would be great as we are working with a company in Manchester at the moment...
wonderfulpom 17-03-2006, 14:42 :) A good selection of cheeses would be good as I never seem to find what I want around sheffield. Also cold meats, ham e.t.c would be great.
diskoheaven 17-03-2006, 16:42 You're shop sounds fab, I work round the corner so will be there like a shot!
Online ordering sounds great, especially during peak times as we don't really have much time to pop out.
Local stuff as well as simple basics, like bacon sandwiches will always go down well.
From our point of view we're open til 9 every day of the week, so being able to get fresh food later would be nice. Will you be opening at weekend? We're in at 9am on Sat and 10am on Sunday, and the choice for breakfast especially and lunch to some extent is VERY limited!
yep open on Saturday from 8am and Sunday 10am so should be able to sort you out with a decent bacon sarnie and maybe some lunch :) If you can get on the website www.urbandeli.co.uk there are a few more details
karenmcc 17-03-2006, 18:42 Have visited the website but it's just a blank green screen??
Not sure did it give you the option to download flash???? :confused:
wonderfulpom 18-03-2006, 23:47 Hi, I was wondering if you're going to be stocking tintern cheese, I can't find it anywhere in sheffield so would be great if you could! Its a chive and shallot cheese with a green wax around the outside. Think its a welsh cheese. Hope you have it! Thanks :)
wonderfulpom 18-03-2006, 23:51 By the way, I was wondering if you have any vacancies going?? If so i would be very interested. My mum and dad used to own a deli and I used to love it!! :)
karenmcc 19-03-2006, 06:49 It didn't give ME the option to download flash:confused: :confused:
Are you going to deliver (pref Fountain Precinct)...
Can we order from your website?
Are you going to deliver (pref Fountain Precinct)...
Can we order from your website?
Looking at the delivery thing at the moment .... You will be able to order via the website and then just come to an express pick up point to collect your order !! No phoning up and then having to stand in the same Q to pick up your sandwiches..
We will probably look to deliver in the S1 postcode to start. The questionaire on the website is trying to establish which postcodes we need to cover and also where we would deliver to if we offered an online service..
Oh tell me about it... so wish we had gone with a flat html site !!! We are currently working on this and should have something up within a week or so !?!
We are looking at an online ordering system for bulk orders of sandwichs with an express pick up point in store to save the "Q" moment !!! The idea been that you can log on and place your order in the morning... just drop in the shop with no hassle... Any thoughts on this service would be great as we are working with a company in Manchester at the moment...
Just some constructive criticisms on online websites. Hope you don't mind. I had a quick scan of your website, and there isn't an address of your deli's location. Basically, I don't know where you are.
With regards to online ordering, I know that there isn't many SME which uses this method, as it isn't that 'smooth' running. I would say that you need the server capacity to begin with, and also possibly not to do this from the offset. Cos it's not cheap. Also, you may need a lot of promotion to get this up and running. A system which is not well run in the beginning, people may not use it in the future. I also noticed a lot of 'under construction' pages on your website. If it isn't implemented yet, you can always 'hide' it than to display it straight away. Cos it's not building customers' confidence. You can always implement lots of ideas and plans later on, and not all at the one go. Especially when u need to build up finances first. Anyway, you wouldn't want to give all 'business ideas' away now, do you ? ;)
Btw, with regards to online ordering, you also need to consider the security side of things too, and credit/debit cards authenticification. Presuming you want people to pay for it than just placing an order online. It isn't an easy area to implement. I can say that companies like Domino pizza do spend a lot in their IT infrastructures to get it running smoothly.
Is there an opening date yet? :)
Is there an opening date yet? :)
We are in the hands of Sheffield planning at the moment !!! We should be opening in mid May but this is dependent on the red tape :rant:
lizzmobile 20-03-2006, 10:10 M-m-m-marinated achovies (wipes drool from keyboard).
charleneleak 24-03-2006, 13:42 Hi -
Just a reminder. We are conducting some research as part of our course at Sheffield Hallam University on behalf of Urban Deli and would be very grateful if you could assist us with our research and complete the online questionnaire.
It is in the offers and events section at www.urbandeli.co.uk.
Sorry, only if you have flash but if you wouldn't mind completing it in word pm me and I will send it you by email.
Thanks
Char
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