by Patti Connor
Staff Writer
When taking over an established business with a loyal customer following, sometimes the true indicator of how successful a new owner will be is not the changes she makes, but the ones she doesn’t.
Karen Winn assumed ownership of San Marco Deli in early April, taking over from its previous owners, who had been there for nine years. A long-time resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., she’s in partnership with her father, Ernie.
“Karen’s the president, general manager and the one who does all the work,” said Ernie Winn, who lives near Crystal River, about a three-hour drive from Jacksonville.
Winn brings to her job a wealth of experience. As a former master baker at Zingermann’s in Michigan, “she’s accustomed to doing a little bit of everything, something you have to be prepared to do, when you work in a deli,” said her dad.
As new proprietors of “a really well-established deli that people love and are proud of,” they know they have a lot to live up to.
“Aside from adding a few dishes, it was obvious it didn’t need a lot of fixing,” said Karen Winn. With a couple of exceptions.
“Apparently the previous owners cut back on the amount of Boar’s Head they were using in their sandwiches,” she said, “so, we’ve increased it slightly.”
The grocery store sandwich bread used previously is also a thing of the past for the new owners, who now have fresh bread and bagels delivered to the establishment every day at 6 a.m.
“Along with 20 or 30 different kinds of sandwiches, we have three daily specials. Our biggest seller is the Godfather — ham, salami, pepperoni and mortadella cheese on a sub roll. Customers also seem to really like the Sausalito Wrap with ground turkey, roasted garlic, cheddar, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. They’re buying that one like crazy. More people seem to be concerned about fat content, so we sell a lot of turkey burgers, our Wednesday special,” said Ernie Winn. Beyond that, the remainder of the changes will be mainly cosmetic. Along with adding some new artwork, they plan to paint the dining room.
“The purple is a little hard to get used to, but everyone knows it as ‘the purple place,’ so we’ll leave that alone,” he said.
Karen Winn moved to Florida to be closer to her parents. She fell in love with San Marco the moment she laid eyes on it.
“I think what appealed to me most,” said Winn, who had considered several other cities, including St. Petersburg, “is the fact that it’s a real neighborhood, in a very cosmopolitan city,”
She was impressed by the sense of easy camaraderie among customers, which was apparent the first time she walked into the deli.
The San Marco Square is home to several other additional restaurants, including Cafe Carmon, Square One, Pizza Palace and Firehouse Subs.
“But we’re completely different, so I don’t really see any of them as direct competitors. It’s true that Firehouse sells subs, just like we do, but on the other hand, they don’t serve breakfast.”
Despite the popularity of San Marco among business people in the area, parking, she said, has not been a problem.
“The church lot behind us always has spaces available and parking is free.”
George Brown and Charlie Hunt, both trainers at Gracor Fitness across the street, have been frequenting San Marco Deli about three years.
“When a business changes hands, at first you’re always skeptical. But the transition was really smooth. If anything, it’s even better now,” said Brown.
As their clients usually book their appointments for the lunch hour, the two like to come in for breakfast and sit outside under an umbrella. Brown orders the pita pocket with eggs, sausage, lettuce and tomato; Hunt
favors the four egg white,
vegetable omelet with green
and red peppers, mushrooms, onions and cheese.
The two agree that the food is not the only thing that keeps them coming back.
“Even though it’s a whole new staff, everything is very personalized. It’s much more like a family, not a fakey, business thing at all,” said Hunt.
Added Brown: “Everyone knows you. It’s as simple as that.”
Socializing aside, the deli also has been the site of more than its share of business transactions.
Said Ernie Winn: “It’s not uncommon for 12 businessmen to come in, push together three tables, and finalize a deal. It’s a good spot, light and airy, without the problems you’d have jammed into a little booth.
They both realize there will always be those people who feel compelled to come in and reminisce about how much they miss the former owners. However, “If it happens that she ends up being here for nine years,” he said with a laugh, “I thoroughly expect them to build a statue of my daughter.”