Andy’s Deli’s original menu from 1978
To many younger people, 1978 seems like a really long time ago—almost prehistoric to anyone living in the current world where things happen quickly and old is anything no longer popular on Tik- Tok. But to anyone over 50, 1978 was just a few days ago.
The Great Train Robbery, Force 10 from Navarone, The Fury, and the original Halloween have all appeared on TV channels lately. Some are on premium channels like HBO—and all are from 1978. Even Corvette Summer, a rather horrible movie that is only remembered because a tasty drink was named after the movie, is making the rounds.
The top musical acts were the Bee Gees and Debby Boone, and the Sex Pistols broke up. The Allman Brothers Band saved the year by reuniting in 1978. Roman Polanski skipped bail and snuck off to France, and someone stole Charlie Chaplin’s remains.
In the Midlands, Kirkman Finlay Jr. was elected Mayor of Columbia, WOLOTV hired South Carolina’s first certified broadcast meteorologist and added color radar to its weather segments, and Andy Shlon, a native of Beirut, Lebanon, who moved to the Midlands in the ’60s, opened a restaurant.
Andy Shlon (l), owner of Andy’s Deli, opened Andy’s Deli in 1978 and was awarded the Key to the City by Mayor Steve Benjamin and City Council December 16, 2014. City council also approved a resolution for the honorary naming of the 2000 block of Greene Street as “Andy Shlon Street” on March 15, 2016. Photos by Josh Cruse
Andy’s Deli opened August 28, 1978, in a former Lum’s location. Shlon had been in the deli business a few years earlier, but this time he was the sole owner. According to local legend and confirmed by Andy’s good friend Albert Khalil, the building smelled like seafood when renovation started, and Andy wanted a different smell, a deli smell. After soaking the floor with two buckets of pickle juice overnight, Andy got his deli smell.
Andy and Albert went to high school together in Beirut, Lebanon. Albert came to the U.S. and somehow ended up in Columbia. He called back home and told his best friend how great it was, so Andy also came to Columbia.
Albert was working at Groucho’s and got Andy a job there. Andy also met his future bride, Carole Dew, while working at Groucho’s. Then he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to work for Kuwaiti Airlines. Carole eventually joined him, and they got married at a courthouse in Florida.
During that time Groucho’s called and offered Andy a one-third partnership if he came back to Columbia and worked with them. This partnership lasted approximately 10 years. After leaving Groucho’s, Andy decided to try construction. He learned to measure twice and cut once and there were no board stretchers. But Andy was still drawn to the food business. So, in 1978, Andy’s Deli opened.
Andy Shlon established a system that was simple and effective. He built his business on serving good food consistently and treating every customer as a longtime friend. Every person was addressed as either “My Friend” or “My Dear,” and most customers didn’t even have to offer their food choice. Andy, and most of the other employees, knew the regulars’ faces, and remembered their orders.
Andy Sr. was a bit headstrong as far as running his food operation, but by all accounts was a “good man” who would help out anyone who needed it. He raised his family in the deli and that shows in the way his two sons, Little Andy and Adam, work together toward the same goal as their father, who passed away in January 2021.
Andy’s Deli is planning a celebration of 45 years in business during the weekend just before the August 28 anniversary date. On Saturday, the 26th, Andy’s will revert to the prices on the original menu that was printed before opening in 1978. A copy sits under glass on the current Andy’s counter. Be sure to bring cash money. Andy’s didn’t accept credit cards in 1978.
There will also be a fashion show of sorts, if one can consider 1970s attire as “fashion.” Anyone wearing clothes from the 1970–1980 period can be photographed and enter a contest. The winner will get a free sandwich each week for a year following the announcement of contest winners. There will also be a second place prize of a sandwich a month for that same time period. Contestants finishing third, fourth, and fifth will receive t-shirts.
The event will celebrate the success of the last 45 years and also honor the memory of the man who opened Andy’s Deli with a vision, a plan, and the desire to work hard to make sure things are done right. That plan and vision are still going strong, with very few changes.
According to Albert, Andy used to balance a glass of beer on his head and belly dance without spilling any beer. Maybe, in honor of Andy Sr., someone will attempt that same feat—wearing ’70s-era clothes.
Or maybe just remember the namesake for Andy’s Deli was a “good man” who made sure “anyone needing help got it.” A simple rule that should be easy to follow—for all of us.
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