The Italian Deli Co., a combination deli, restaurant and Italian market in North Pasadena, is marking its first year in business this week with a week-long anniversary celebration that reflects how its mix of imported products, all-day dining and neighborhood hospitality has resonated with the community, owner Gary Chaglasyan said.
Chaglasyan, who said he has operated restaurants across different brands for 25 to 30 years, said the strongest accomplishment of the first year was establishing the business as a community gathering place.
“From being always set to make the place the community hub, and that was sort of the idea to make sure the locals folks meet each other,” he said, adding that the concept was built around that goal from the start.
The restaurant opened in a Pasadena property at a time when many businesses and residents in the area were reeling from the Eaton Fire, Chaglasyan said, describing his decision as a calculated risk.
He said the location came together in a way that felt like a good opportunity to bring life to the neighborhood — and that the gamble worked.
Chaglasyan said he was most surprised by the community’s response. He said strong guest turnout began on the very first day, even while the building was still being prepared, and that some customers came in to show their appreciation.
He also credited the City of Pasadena, which he said was proactive in working through building and operational permits so the business could open quickly.
The operation was designed so that its deli, restaurant, bar and outdoor seating work together as a single experience rather than competing draws, Chaglasyan said. He said the Italian market and deli section, while small, functions as part of the décor and builds atmosphere, with fresh meats, cheeses and grocery items imported from Italy.
Customers often come first for the full-menu dining, then return for deli sandwiches, happy hours or Italian coffee in the evenings, he said.
Chaglasyan said the menu has remained largely unchanged because he considers the core offerings solid, but the restaurant has added a seasonal menu that rotates roughly every month with spring, seafood and meat-based items.
He credited the restaurant’s chef, Lalo, with driving that effort, saying Chef Lalo inspired the whole team with his creativity, execution and consistency in implementing new seasonal menus built on fresh products and the Italian experience and journey the restaurant is creating for guests week after week.
He said Chef Lalo brings 30 years of experience working in restaurants from Beverly Hills to Pasadena, and that a pasta dish prepared in a wheel of Parmesan cheese has become popular in the evenings.
Chaglasyan’s guiding idea? The overall feeling and experience, never solely the food, with the aim of making customers feel as though they were in Europe or Italy. He said guests have told him they felt at home.
On the challenges of the first year, Chaglasyan said operating a quality business in California is expensive. He said the restaurant maintains higher salary levels to retain what he described as a strong team with very low turnover, and that food costs run high because the business imports meats and other items and receives fresh produce daily rather than cutting corners. He said his experience in the industry has helped him manage those costs efficiently.
Chaglasyan said local and repeat customers have been central to the restaurant’s growth. He said the business deliberately avoided artificial loyalty programs built on points, aiming instead to build loyalty through the food and the experience. The restaurant sees many regulars, most of them local, along with customers traveling from outside the city, he said.
Heading into the second year, Chaglasyan said the business now has a full year of sales data to guide decisions on staffing, hours and menu offerings that it lacked at the outset. He said the anniversary celebration will include an additional menu and a series of announcements and invitations, and that he hopes city officials, including the mayor and a councilman, will join. “We definitely want to say thank you,” Chaglasyan said, adding that the restaurant is coordinating with its suppliers on the event.
The Italian Deli is located at 1615 E. Washington Blvd. in Pasadena. For more, click here.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
