March 26, 2021

Chef Dan Myers has closed the final location for Myers’ Deli & More, but he doesn’t rule out bringing it back.

The space in the CNA Surety Building downtown is on the market, but if another tenant doesn’t surface before summer, Myers said he’ll consider reopening.

In the meantime, he’s focusing on his other businesses: Myers’ Elite Catering and running the kitchen for EightyOne Arcade Bar downtown in The Carpenter Building, which was the home for the first of his two deli locations.

After spreading himself too thin with the two delis and the catering business, Myers said he’s not sure his heart is in having a restaurant again.

“I miss what I used to do,” he said of his early days as a restaurant owner. “So I’m trying to, in the time frame that I’ve allotted myself, I’m trying to figure out how I can do what I used to do in a different style or in a different way. I think family meals would be a good way to do it. I’ve always hated the microwavable meal and baked meal, but I think if you can really focus on fresh local, and you can focus on using more of those culinary styles instead of just doing the big-batch cooking, I might have a little more fun with it.”

Chef Dan Myers as he prepared to open his deli in the CNA Surety Building in June 2018.

As Myers tries to discern his next chapter, he’s also taking real estate classes and doing woodworking projects, acknowledging he’s struggling to figure out what he wants to do next.

The impact of COVID-19 on his business was significant. The early days of the pandemic a year ago emptied downtown offices of the workers that would grab coffee or have lunch at the deli. Catering jobs dried up as businesses shifted to working remotely and weddings and other celebrations were curtailed. He closed the deli for a couple of months, but traffic was slow once it reopened. Myers decided to let it go.

“It’s literally like I not only put a business on the market, but I put a dream that I’ve had since I was kid on the market. So it’s upsetting.”

Myers’ Deli was the second restaurant to occupy the space on the first floor of the office building on Reid Street. It was the original home of Josiah’s Coffeehouse Cafe & Bakery.

“It’s got a history of success down there, from when Josiah’s was there and Myers’, and we’re looking forward to getting a new restaurant operator in there to continue serving the CNA building and the surrounding area,” said Scott Blount of Lloyd Cos., who has the space listed for lease.

The best fit is “a breakfast-lunch concept,” he said. “When Josiah’s was in there, Saturday and Sunday were some of their busiest days. People on the bike trail would stop by and get breakfast, so we’d like an operator who is strong on the breakfast end of things and can provide a lunch menu that’s attractive to CNA tenants and the surrounding area.”