May 15, 2017

Meet Mark Mendelson of Nate ‘n Al Delicatessen in Beverly Hills

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Mendelson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Mark. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I worked part time throughout high school in the family business (Nate’n Al Delicatessen) then went off to college and got a degree in Psychology. After I graduated, I felt a strong desire to fully immerse myself into Nate’n Al Deli to see if this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I quickly feel in love with the business, customers, and employees. I felt was part of something very special, and still do going on 30 years now.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest challenges we are facing is the decline of the Jewish Delicatessen which has been slowly occurring for decades now. Author David Sax does an excellent job in his book titled “Save The Deli” of describing the decline and the reasons for it in detail. The documentary “Deliman” which was released in 2014 also does an excellent job of highlighting the challenges that the Delicatessen food concept has experienced. With that said Nate’n Al has been able to overcome these challenges by delivering an exceptional product and experience.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Nate’n Al Delicatessen – what should we know?
Nate’n Al’s success over the years is based largely on tradition – a tradition of offering delicious deli fare in generous quantities and in a setting that promotes conversation and camaraderie. The tradition was started by two idealistic young men, Al Mendelson and Nate Reimer, in 1945 and has since been passed down through the generations to two Mendelson grandsons, Mark and David, who daily strive to carry on that tradition in a way that honors their Grandfather.

The original recipes in our Los Angeles delicatessens are the ones our grandparents used in 1945 and are still used today. Over 90% of the food we serve is cooked fresh in-house every day. Over the years, we’ve received numerous accolades for some of our most famous dishes including our matzo ball soup, which was named Best Matzo Ball Soup in Los Angeles Magazine’s feature issue, “Best of LA” and our Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich was ranked first in the “Best Reuben Sandwich in Los Angeles” category by CBS/Los Angeles.

And we couldn’t be prouder of our staff who enthusiastically prepare and serve the food each day to regulars, loyal fans and first time guests curious to see what all the fuss is about. If you’ve been with us before, we invite you to return and experience all that there is to love about Nate’n Al. If this would be your first time with us, we welcome you, certain that we’ll win you over with the very first bite.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Providing exceptional products and customer experience. We couldn’t be prouder of our staff who enthusiastically prepare and serve the food each day to regulars, loyal fans and first time guests curious to see what all the fuss is about for over 70 years. When you are at Nate’n Al, you are with family.

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