Broomfield Enterprise-New York deli sets up shop-by Terri Chance, Enterprise staff writer

By: Heidi's Brooklyn Deli | 3 Shares 547 Reads

Born as a bagel and ice cream shop in Denver, Heidi's Brooklyn Deli has expanded its chain throughout the Denver-metro area to 22 stores. The newest location opens Saturday in the Broomfield Marketplace shopping center.

The restaurant began in 1994 serving ice cream and bagels, but in 1997, owners Heidi and Steve Naples, both from Brooklyn, N.Y., expanded the menu. Soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and gourmet desserts are just part of what Heidi's offers.

The Broomfiled Marketplace franchise is owned Velasquez and her brother, Marty Quintana. Cindy Velasquez, formerly a Denver television station executive, was a business acquaintance of Naples when he and his wife kicked off their franchises about a year ago. A few of the original stores are still corporate-owned, but Qunitana said anything built in the last 18 months is a franchise.

Quintana got involved with Heidi's after he left his job in corporate America.

"I've wanted to own a restaurant forever," he said.

To prepare for his new career, Quintana took a job at Heidi's Brooklyn Deli in the Denver Tech Center making $6.50 an hour. People thought he was crazy, but he said he took the work seriously.

"It's my belief that if you are going to run something like this and have people come and work for you and appreciate you, then you have to work in their shoes," he said.

Eating out is at an all-time high according to the National Restaurant Association. And although families reportedly eat 76 percent of their meals at home, the nations 925,000 restaurants should hit $511 billion in sales for 2005, according to the NRA's 2006 Restaurant Industry Forecast. Quintana, who is a Denver native, believes deli restaurants are fairly unusual in the Denver area, and are much more visible on the East Coast. But he and his sister noted Broomfield offers more deli varieties than other communities with a half-dozen choices, not including Subway or Quiznos sandwich shops.

Delicatessens offer a new twist on the fast-food market, he said. Every fast-food place offers take-out and dine-in food, but Heidi's is a quick-casual establishment, which means customers order and pay at a counter, but are invited to sit in the dining area, where Heidi's employees will take care of busing the table or bringing drinks.

"I hope people peeking in can tell the difference visually," Quintana said.

Everything at Heidi's is baked fresh daily, which Quintana feels sets it apart from many restaurants. Food is prepared according to each individual order. Even with a menu of 39 sandwiches, Quintana said customers can add or change items.

"That's the charm of a deli," he said. "Everyone who walks up to the counter likes something a little bit different."

Heidi's Brooklyn Deli hopes to finish the year with 65 stores across the country. In May, Heidi's opened a store at 281 Flatiron Circle. A Boulder location opens next week, followed by a Longmont store in two weeks.