Category: Ronnie’s Blog

This April 4th, my wife Cindy and I were married for 48 years. People have asked what the reason was for our successful marriage. Well, I answer them this way: on our 25th anniversary Cindy and I went to Beijing, China. So what are you doing for your 48th anniversary to which I answer jokingly … I will be picking her up from Beijing, China.

In all seriousness, my wife was and still is a true partner both at work and play. If one were to ask me who deserved the medal in our marriage I would gladly and truthfully say, Cindy! It wasn’t easy to be married to a workaholic, who typically worked over 100 hours each work and for seven years worked seven days per week with the only days off were the holidays we were closed –– Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover. We even planned our April wedding to coincide with closing the store for Passover, so we could enjoy a honeymoon.

I was on a mission to be successful since I grew up poor, having lived in eight different places by the time I was 14 years of age. Cindy worked seven days per week but less hours than me all while raising two independent and smart children, Josh and Jaime who are in their forties now. No matter all the travails that accompany operating a business, I have been blessed with a comfortable livelihood, a warm and wonderful home, and now two bright and beautiful grandchildren, Ella and Leo. Would a grandfather say anything less?

And now that I am a consultant to my own business, I am now relieved of the daily grind. I couldn’t be happier … as my new job description will be to visit the stores, kibbutz with customers, thank our hardworking employees … and of course help in all the decision making processes.

Thanks to all the workers –– past and present –– who helped me build the business as well as all the customers who made my semi-retirement possible so maybe Cindy and I could actually visit Beijing, together!

Ronnie

As we March on in this very uncertain world, I am pleased to announce my long-awaited, long-delayed semi-retirement from Ben’s. Yes, you heard it right — I’m finally taking a step back. At the age of 75, I’ve decided it’s time to let others take the reins while I sip my diet cokes and watch the world go by. Well, maybe not exactly that — my mind never stops, but you get the idea.

For over 51 years, Ben’s has been my lifeblood. The hustle, the corned beef sandwiches, the late nights — it’s all etched into my DNA. But now, with the Pandemic of the century (thankfully) behind us, I’m ready to pass the torch. Don’t worry — I’ll still be lurking in the shadows as a consultant. My love for this place hasn’t wavered; it’s just time for a little R&R.

So, here’s my request: I want to hear from you — the loyal patrons who’ve kept Ben’s alive all these years. If you were king of the hill (or queen), what would you do differently? What secret ingredient would you add to our matzo ball soup? Would you change our pickle-to-sandwich ratio? Or maybe you’d introduce a “Bagels Only” happy hour?

Email me at rdragoon@bensdeli.net with your thoughts. Let’s keep this deli train chugging along together. Thank you for a wonderful life — I’ll see you at the deli (or maybe not).

Ronnie

When I first entertained entering this business, I thought about the ways I could revolutionize the kosher deli business that had remained unchanged since the 1920’s. And I did! I was a 24 year-old idealistic kid from Queens County in New York City and am now entering my 76th year on this earth.

Now bent by age and too many 100+ hours work weeks I need to enlist the help of others.  Ira Bernstein, CPA, a Long Island native and my first cousin has relocated from Las Vegas, Nevada (or as I like to call it, Lost Wages) to help me navigate the future of Ben’s.

With an accountant’s eye on finances—will help to reduce redundancies and look for ways to have greater efficiency through a more robust point of sale system as well as tightening up our cost controls. Ira will join me, our COO Todd Silverstein, VP Gilah Salzano and my daughter Jaime Dragoon Passy in charting the future. I am still optimistic for the future of Ben’s. The entire executive management team is bullish on our future.

I hope all our employees, patrons and vendors realize that it was no easy task to be in business for over 51 years with the same family ownership. It took perseverance to get through all the vagaries of the years whether it was an 18% interest rate during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the financial collapse of 2007/2008 and the once in a lifetime Pandemic. While we survived, many of my fellow kosher deli owners did not and that’s sad.

We are only as strong as our weakest link and we are now considered a rare breed when once kosher delis dotted the highways and byways, boroughs, and villages of metro New York. 

So, to all of you — vendors, patrons, and employees — thank you for joining me on this journey … thank you for your continuing support.    

See you at the Deli!
Ronald Dragoon

If the President of the United States can give a State of the Union speech, and the Governor of New York State can give a State of the State address, so, too, can I give the State of Ben’s in far fewer words than the President and/or the Governor.

So let’s get right to it:

Ben’s has experienced the unprecedented emergence of Covid (at least in my lifetime), and was able to navigate through all the vitriol and divisiveness in the country, and the rampant inflation that all of us have experienced as consumers and vendors. So after all this, where are we now and where are we headed in 2023? Ben’s through the years has had its share of ups and downs but never were we so threatened as we have been … but we emerged, and I think stronger than we have been in some time.

My goal has been to maintain the restaurant locations we now have and increase our sales by expanding our delivery areas as well as our offerings. We have an amazing amount of dedicated and caring workers who know the mission and the goal in the coming years of being the preeminent kosher caterer and restaurant in the United States. It is not an easy business and never was but as we overcame the high interest rates in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the financial crisis in 2008, we, too, shall overcome all the issues I have raised. How do we do this?

We do this by having an evolving menu with more food options, maintaining the cleanliness and good looks of the respective Ben’s locations and seeking out superior management talent.

We look forward to 2023 with optimism and with the hope that our vendors, patrons, and employees face the future with the same optimism. And I must thank all the patrons who have written me, called the “hot line,” made suggestions, criticized or complimented on what they saw and experienced.

May you all have a resurgence of optimism, health and good fortune in 2023.

See you all at the Deli,
Ronnie

December is a wonderful month where all religions and ethnicities celebrate their respective holidays, whether it is Chanukah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa.

We are preparing to meet the demands of holiday parties and holiday catering. We will have Lotsa Latkes (lotsa latkes, lotsa flavors) and want everyone to know that we will have our yearly special of buy three dozen potato pancakes (aka Latkes) and receive the fourth dozen for free … so spread the word and joy, or get together with your friends and neighbors to share.

As the New Year approaches, wishes for world peace and security are abound … and I wish the very best to our workers, our patrons, relatives and friends during this holiday season.

May you all have a happy, healthy, reflective and peaceful 2024 and a wonderful holiday season.

With best regards,
Ronnie Dragoon
CEO/Founder

Thanksgiving is almost upon us along with the change in the clocks and colder weather… For me it is the signaling of the end of greenery and the beginning of fall foliage. Time to get out our winter jackets, sweaters, boots … and hopefully not shovels … to accommodate the weather changes.

Not only it is time to give thanks but also give pause to all that’s happening in the world. It is time to speak out and use our voices to make sure the world is a  more peaceful place. As best as I can tell, we’re still better off than our ancestors with many more creature comforts. Let’s hope that smarter and calmer minds and actions will prevail. Let’s hope for a peaceful world with a better understanding of each others differences,  regardless of our respective religions, skin color, and sexual orientation.

And to those who say we are a world of tribes and tribalism, I suggest that we all are a member of one tribe — the human race. May you all have a very happy, healthy, and peaceful Thanksgiving.

Make sure to place your catering orders or make reservations in our dining room. We sincerely appreciate your continued loyalty and support.

See ya at the deli,
Simply, Ronnie

Whatever I can do to provide harmony and family tranquility I try to do … after all I have owned a family restaurant for over 50 years. Maybe that is why every October we run a kids promotion where we heavily discount kids meals. It truly warms my heart when a family sits down in the restaurant and laughter is heard emanating from the dining room … conversely, it’s sad when I see adults and their kids all on their cell phones speaking to others not at the table or quietly playing video games. I sometimes wonder if anyone converses anymore or is that a relic of the past? Is it relegated to the dustbin of history like the horse and buggy (with all due respect to the Amish)? As good as cell phones might be, they are also a detriment to civil discourse within the family unit. I guess it’s easier that way. I have had meetings where those at the meeting were text messaging and receiving text messages … so undivided attention is a misnomer.

And don’t get me started on social media.

It, too, is a curse and a blessing.

As I have told many, I am glad at the age of 75 — in the sunset of my life — that both my life and career will not have to witness a further deterioration of communication, respect and gratitude.

If this was the beginning of my career, I don’t know if I could cope with this brave new world! Hopefully, the October kids promotion will bring families out and they can converse at the dinner table … and I will smile in delight hearing children and adults laughing. So please do take advantage of this promotion … we have our famous kids chicken fingers, a kid’s platter of roast beef, brisket or turkey, pasta and meatballs, delicious grilled chicken, a junior deli sandwich or omelette, a little steak burger (we grind our own) or our Hebrew National® Beef Hot Dog. There are so many choices … you simply can’t go wrong.

See ya at the deli,
Simply, Ronnie

As summer fades and the next season befalls us, I am thinking how quickly time flies.

When I was a kid in New York City (Queens to be more exact), I played stickball, shot marbles, and flipped baseball cards in the summer … no country clubs, pool clubs, yacht clubs, tennis nor golf for me. Times have certainly changed … and I sometimes wonder if we have lost our moral compass. What do we think is important or unimportant in the grand scheme of things? What are we teaching our kids and what are they learning?

As the Fiddler laments while situated on a roof, it is no shame to be poor but it’s no great honor either, I think of all of life’s lessons over the years, personally and professionally … and what’s important and what’s not. My thoughts and values have clearly changed as I’ve aged but my core values remain the same.

Some things however don’t change as Rosh Hashanah is upon us. It is amazing to think we have catered holiday dinners for three generations on Long Island, in Boca, Manhattan and Westchester. (This year Manhattan orders will be delivered through our flagship Greenvale store and Westchester  orders can be ordered and will be delivered through Bayside.)  Please call the respective Ben’s location for details and delivery arrangements. Deliveries will be limited so order early.

So as we lose our tans, go back to school, and see swimming pools being closed, we will soon be celebrating  the changing colors of leaves and clothing. And as I have heard many Floridians lament, the changing of the seasons is what is most missed about not being up north. So let’s enjoy all that stays the same, Ben food adorning our table with wonderful friends and family, and  embrace the changing seasons. (Hopefully we will have another mild winter.)

Have a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

See ya at the deli,
Simply, Ronnie

If you’re like me, you’ll find certain behaviors and protocols odd.

For example, my home office has a view of our front door so when I saw a package left at our front door and the courier took a cell phone picture of the item, I asked myself for what purpose. He or she could take a picture and then walk away with the package. Am I being too cynical?

One time a package was left at foot of the mailbox at the entrance of my driveway. I called Amazon and told them that I never ordered the hats that were in the package. They told me it was a mistaken delivery and I should keep them. So what did I do, I gave them out to friends and acquaintances. What did the hats say? Do Not Disturb!

One time a patron complained bitterly about the service he received … ranting on and on how he would never patronize our restaurant again. With that, he asked for change of a twenty dollar bill and then proceeded to hand the server (the same server who provided the worst service ever) an extremely generous gratuity! Go figure.

Recently, a man who received a $100 gift card complained about every single item that was ordered.   The one and only thing he raved about was the exceptional service he received from the waitress.  Beyond the service he said Not a single thing was good, the soup, the matzoh ball, the Cole slaw (a freebie), the hot dog, the sauerkraut, the hot open roast beef sandwich or mashed potatoes, etc. Four things were taken off the gentlemen’s bill when he was in the restaurant. But that wasn’t good enough. He wrote a review and wanted his money back. For the sake of peace and harmony we offered to refund the amount of his bill that was already discounted. But woe … that wasn’t enough. Not only did he want his bill refunded but he wanted his tip back. He wanted to be assured the server would get her tip but he didn’t want to pay for it.   Having heard enough, the Vice President of the company told him she would refund the entire $100 gift card and send him a check … if and only if he never stepped foot in any Ben’s location. This man was a first class schnorrer.

These vignettes taught me one very important lesson, that is, you never stop learning and seeing quirks in our world no matter one’s age. At the ripe old age of 75 people don’t cease to amaze me.

Oh, and don’t forget to order a self-service BBQ for ten people or more and, remember, that Rosh Hashanah orders are now being taken … Thank you.

See ya at the Deli,
Ronnie

Do any of our patrons remember S & H green stamps? I still remember my mom’s infatuation with these little stamps (emulating the U.S. postage stamp); she couldn’t wait until she got home from the grocery store to put the stamps in her S & H book so she could redeem them for what she thought were wonderful gifts.

I guess that’s why many years ago, before loyalty programs were even popular, I opted to start my very own loyalty program. Instead of stamps I opted for loyalty  cards, and instead of gifts we give money. I love listening to the excitement of our customers when they learn at the register they they have a $3.00 coupon, earned $7.50 … or hit the jackpot with a buy one get one free coupon. And we make sure to always see our customers on their birthday month because of the monetary birthday gift we bestow.

It incentivizes the customers to buy, spend and save more. And they come back … luckily the program works.

I still remember E.J. Korvettes and Robert Hall and more recently, the venerable supermarket Waldbaum’s. I hope – after almost 51 years in business – Ben’s continues well after I am gone. I know that every generation removed from the immigrant experience, loyalty wanes and thus it is incumbent on Ben’s to change with the times. Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant is past the glory days where there were two and three kosher delis in the neighborhood so I am trying my very best to keep this tradition alive. Whoever thought that Ben’s would have wraps on the menu, paninis, or our latest addition – new  fresh salads with new and exciting ingredients that our customers are raving about.

I know that I have tried my very best to change with the times, and pass on my knowledge and passion to those who are younger, and will continue the Ben’s tradition and that of the kosher delicatessen restaurant genre. It is so rewarding when I hear from a 45 year old that we catered their bris, or their bar or bat mitzvah, their holiday gatherings, or their engagement parties and the many stories how Ben’s participated in their family’s rites of passage. As I approach my 75^th birthday, I want all of my patrons, friends, vendors and employees to know how appreciative I am for their support through the years; may we continue for another 50 years rewarding each other!

With best regards,
Ronnie Dragoon
CEO/Founder