Updated as of 4:27 p.m. on March 2 to include a photo gallery of business on opening day, as well as much of the food served.
Mediterranean Deli opened its doors at 11 a.m. on March 2 to their new location at 116 N. Williamson Ave. The Elon Community was ecstatic to see the establishment reopen. Jamil Kadoura, owner of Mediterranean Deli, was told by Elon to expect an influx of customers – community members and students alike – who eagerly awaited Mediterranean Deli’s reopening.
“They told me that there are going to be around 2000 people on opening day,” Kadoura said. “I’m excited for my employees, and I’m excited to show people what Mediterranean Deli is all about.”
Interior of New Mediterranean Deli location on reopening day, March. 2. Jamil Kadoura, owner of Mediterranean Deli, works with employees to prepare and serve food for customers.
The establishment had been located at 202 W. Haggard Ave. and closed on Aug 18, 2022, much to the disappointment of the Elon Community; however, Kadoura worked with Elon to bring the restaurant back to downtown Elon in the former location of Acorn Coffee Shop. Acorn opened at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year in Belk Library.
Originally set to open in summer 2023, Kadoura was forced to push back the reopening of Med Deli by six months after the Mediterranean Deli location in Chapel Hill caught fire.
Now, after months of waiting, members of the Elon community poured into the new location — nearly filling all the tables after the first half hour of opening. Ruby Brinkerhoff, manager of the new location, said she could not be happier. She is relieved that the construction is finally finished and is happy to be serving people again.
“A lot of people have been contacting us about opening again,” Brinkerhoff said. “So we’re seeing a lot of familiar faces and new people.”
Members of the Elon community were excited to see Mediterranean Deli open again. Junior Alexa Morrissey said she enjoys the atmosphere of the new location and the friendliness of the staff. She said she is also pleased with the variety in cuisine that Mediterranean Deli brings to Elon.
“I feel like the food here is mostly fast food places,” Morrissey said. “But if you’re looking for a calm, nutritious meal, Med Deli is the place.”
Elon Town Councilmember Monti Allison was quick to notice the differences between the new location and the old beneath Park Place. The previous Mediterranean Deli was 6300 square feet, while the new location is 2000 square feet.
Allison said he believes that with the change in size, the new location would be more economically feasible.
“I think the model works better,” Allison said. “They don’t have as much inventory or as much space. So I think it’s going to be a success.”
Despite moving to downtown Elon, Kadoura said that they will be keeping the location beneath Park Place to use its facilities.
“There’s a bakery there that we’re keeping for two more years,” Kadoura said. “We’re going to be baking big goods, and it’s also going to be a place where we can do catering as we go.”
Though they are officially open, there is still more for Kadoura to do. Kadoura said he was contacted by North Carolina State University, who said they were interested in having a Mediterranean Deli location on their campus as well.
“They went to the UNC location and said they wanted a location like that,” Kadoura said. “I had a meeting with them yesterday, and we’re talking about how we’re going to do that.”
Kadoura said he is relieved to see the completion of the new Mediterranean Deli. He said that there were many hurdles he and his employees had to overcome in order to bring it back to Elon, but after seeing all the people who showed up for opening day, all the effort was worth it.
“We came to a point where it’s in our hands now,” Kadoura said. “Now we start cooking.”