Sunnyside Deli has been a longtime, beloved institution in the Fresno area, offering classic, delicious sandwiches and service that always came with a smile. When it was announced that the owners would be retiring after 40 years of operating their business, it was very bittersweet for their many, many customers.
With so many Sunnyside and Fresno residents holding fond memories for the much beloved Deli, there was a nearly palpable sigh of relief when news broke that a new family would be purchasing the Deli and would re-opening it, preserving much of what was beloved from the past.
I was able to interview one of the new owners, Megan Husak of the Husak Family, in honor of Sunnyside Deli’s grand (re) opening last week. Read on to find out about what you can look forward to at the re-opened Sunnyside Deli located at 5691 E Kings Canyon Rd in Fresno.
FresYes: Megan, what made your family decide to take the plunge and purchase the business?
Megan Husak: We were long time customers and friends with the former owners. It was a place that we loved and we were shocked to hear about its closing, like so many others! My Mom was really the first one to push us towards it — we didn’t want to see the deli close, and as I was moving back to Fresno from Brooklyn, NY- it was the perfect time to buy the deli.
FresYes: What things will customers who were used to the old Sunnyside Deli be able to look forward to enjoying again? What new and exciting elements of the business do you think customers will particularly enjoy?
MH: We are using the same great menu that they had before, and we are doing our best to make the sandwiches and salads the way our customers remember it. We will be slowly rolling out the rest of the menu including the soups and other weekly specials. We have already started tri-tip Thursdays and have received some great feedback. We also added a fryer so we can offer fries, garlic fries, and cheese curds.
FresYes: At the time of this interview, you’ve just opened your doors and we see some amazing food photos on your social media – how are things going so far?
MH: We have been overwhelmed by the turnout! People have been so excited that we are open, and they have been very kind and patient while we are learning and getting our systems in place. We are working on improving our wait times. One major change we just made was add a second sandwich prep station to the back of the house, which is going to help us with our call in and to go orders. We will have more information about when our drive-thru area will be open soon, too.
FresYes: Based on your experience preparing to open a local business – what’s the best piece of advice you could give to someone considering doing the same thing here in the Fresno area?
MH: It’s been quite a learning experience! We have learned to be really flexible, and to just stay on top of everything that needs to be done. The most frustrating part of this whole process has been waiting for the parts that I can’t control.
FresYes: And, you know we had to ask: What’s YOUR favorite thing on the menu?
MH: Oh man…that is a tricky one to answer! Possibly the TBA (Turkey Bacon Avocado) or the Ruben, but maybe even the tri-tip salad that we have on Friday and Saturday with any left-over tri-tip there might be! But, then there are the new cheese curds with our spicy ranch… I could go on!
FresYes: Anything else you’d like us to share with our readers that we didn’t ask about?
MH: Yes, please follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram) to learn about all of the new and exciting things we are doing! We have several events we are working on for the near future as well!
Here at FresYes, we’re thrilled to have Sunnyside Deli back in action, and we’re wishing the Husaks much success!
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