Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli — Restaurant in South Bethany

I'd like to stress that I really do loathe leaving any business- especially a family owned business- anything less than a stellar review. But this was a truly terrible, grueling experience and it seems to be shared by many. I'm only speaking for the South Bethany location. It was a disaster of epic proportions and I wish we'd listened to our instinct and left after the first 18 minutes of waiting for service. The staff is chaotic, distracted and it seems a lack of leadership and direction is creating this.

The red headed bearded man who waited on us seemed tangibly agitated that we were there to order. Hey, we'd made it that far. I was ordering something simple- cheese on rye. When he expressed confusion not twice but three times- I said, not in an unpleasant tone, "I'm just going down the menu options where it says you pick this or this, you know", he responded with a curt "actually, I don't know" so that sort of set the mood for our visit. As it turns out, he did not put in our sides or our salads and after waiting another 17 minutes until we got a hastily made salad and a soggy looking cheese sandwich that Royal Farms could have made better, we sat around waiting to eat until our other items arrived. We eventually realized- he didn't put them in. We had to go up and order all over again. His dismay for us was clear but we weren't trying to be jerks.

Then, when we finally began to eat, a worker started aggressively opening multiple packages of drinks and loudly restocking the beverage fridge. Not projecting- this guy was really intense. The issue is that he's three feet from us and this went on for over 15 minutes- it's not even like it was empty- he couldn't wait? He began dropping cans literally right behind me and throwing down cardboard right behind my chair- very distracting and uncomfortable. I started to get up to move but thought he'd stop soon. No, it went on and on and even the older woman at the table next to us gave me a sympathetic look. Other people there were verbalizing how unhappy they were. I will never ever visit a Rosenfeld's Deli again, which pains me as we live in a time where we desperately need to support family owned Delis in a world of Wawa and Jewish Delis in a time of intolerance. But this place was horrendous. The owner did approach our table, an hour into our visit (I didn't see him around prior to this), and ask how things were. I felt bad (though I shouldn't) and told him it was fine, but also pointed out we'd been there for over one hour and still hadn't received our fries. He brought them out swiftly- maybe he needs to be...

Spent $57 for 3 sandwiches and 2 drinks. The corned beef sandwiches were light on the portions and I ordered mine cold with Swiss cheese and Cole slaw. It came out hot with melted cheese and no slaw. I took it up to the counter and asked for the Cole slaw, and the staff was going to take my sandwich with a bite out of it and put the slaw on it back in the kitchen. I declined that and asked just for the coleslaw on the side. He came out with a small cup, and instantly I knew it was spoiled, just by the smell alone, it was discolored as well. At this point, I was ready to go, even though they charged an extra $2.75 for the coleslaw. $17.25 is way too much for the sandwich. I was served today. Also, there was no side of chips as previously included with the sandwiches, and instead of a bowl full of pickles, we were given only three skinny spears. No one came back to our table to check on us and had they I would have addressed it. Since it only took a few minutes to eat the small sandwiches we got, we weren’t seated for long. When we were leaving a gentleman stocking the soft drink cooler asked how everything was. I told him about the coleslaw recommended he did not serve it anymore. He said he would take care of it, but did not attempt to talk to me further about it, did not mention reimbursing me, did not stop what he was doing to tell anyone else working about the rancid cole slaw. The deli seemed poorly stocked compared to previous years we have been here. The seafood case was not nearly stocked as usual, and the shelves rather bare. I don’t know if it’s under new management but certainly not the Rosenfeld’s experience...

Customer Service 4 The Win

So I ordered from Location A. I swear I ordered from Location A.

Well, my receipt tells me otherwise. Somehow, I ordered from Location B. • I can’t cancel the order. • I can’t reach anyone by phone. • I’m already halfway to Location A and definitely won’t make it to B before closing.

I arrive at Location A—sheepish, confused, fully expecting a “sorry, can’t help you.”

Instead? They honor my order. No drama. No delay. No “wait, we have to call Location B first.” Just kindness and action.

So what does a customer do next?

A) Post a scathing review about the buggy web ordering system B) Post a glowing review about how the people solved the problem C) Leave a tip, because you know they did you a solid D) Say nothing—because great service should be expected

I chose B and C. And now maybe E: E) Write a post to tell everyone about it.

Shoutout to Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli in South Bethany Beach, DE (and the one in Rehoboth Beach, DE). You didn’t just serve pastrami—you served grace.

⸻

P.S. I almost didn’t write this because I ordered the Schleep (Brisket, Pastrami, and Corned Beef). Now all I want to do is…...