February 1, 2024
Business Reporting
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - After a fire swept through and destroyed the Mediterranean Deli in July, renovations are underway with plans to reopen in early fall.
Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering, located on West Franklin Street, began renovations to the building two weeks ago after a fire destroyed the back of the restaurant in July, said Jamil Kadoura, owner of Med Deli.
He said the demo renovations were able to start once the permit to reinstall the roof and flooring was approved by the Town of Chapel Hill. It was approved in December.
Kadoura said the renovations include demolishing parts of the restaurant damaged in the fire and renovating the floor, the walls, and the doors. Gateway Building Company, a commercial general contractor company based in Durham, is in charge of reconstructing the restaurant.
Kadoura said they were excited when they got the permit approval.
“The most exciting moment for me was when the architect called me, and he said, ‘We got the permit,’ I called my wife, of course, and I called my daughter,” Kadoura said.
Kadoura has been meeting with Jim Spencer Architects to design the new space. Kadoura said the dining room, the outside, and the market area are going to stay the same with “a different ambiance,” while the kitchen was going to be very nice.
He said the architects hope Med Deli can open in July, but he said he thinks that is “questionable.”
“I’ll be happy if I open before the school year. I’m hoping early fall,” Kadoura said.
Kadoura opened Med Deli in 1992. Functioning as a staple of Chapel Hill for 32 years, it caught fire while a contractor was patching the roof on July 22. It caused $3 million in damage to Med Deli, according to Fire Department records as reported in the Raleigh News & Observer.
“It’s the darkest day of our lives,” Kadoura said.
The restaurant has been able to continue its operation through catering and began offering takeout and pickup services two months ago. The employees are currently working out of Chapter 2 on 454 W. Franklin St. Kadoura bought the property in June 2021 to use for a smaller venue but converted it to a catering office after the fire.
“Our catering is doing okay. You know, we could use more, we could do more, if it comes,” Kadoura said. He said with the combination of insurance coverage and catering, they are “floating.”
Liz Coughlin, catering director of Med Deli, said catering is the most important for the business.
“Catering pays for all of the employees. Pays for everything. The restaurant basically just pays for food, makes a profit. But if we didn’t have catering, we wouldn’t have a lot of things,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin said the only thing that survived in the fire was the catering book. She referred to it as “The Bible.” She said that they now do everything online and will “never take that chance again.”
Niki Strebel, Chapel Hill resident, catered Med Deli in November for her daughter’s sorority dinner. She said she chose Med Deli because the food is “delicious,” and wanted to support them.
“I’ve used them once and I would highly recommend them again,” Strebel said. “They were a full-service operation and made the evening so easy.”
Strebel came to Chapel Hill in 1988 as an undergraduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill and never left. She said she appreciated seeing Med Deli’s impact on the community over time.
“It’s truly inspirational to watch how much it has expanded and grown and provided a huge service to the community over the past 30 years,” Strebel said.
Med Deli’s resilience can also be attributed to the Chapel Hill community. A GoFundMe for the staff raised about $214,000 until it closed on Aug. 8. There were 3,126 donors, according to the GoFundMe website.
Kadoura said the town “jumped” to help them, and they get a lot of customers who pick up food to support Med Deli.
“We planted a green seed in the community, and it paid off for us,” Kadoura said.
Med Deli has a second location at Elon University in Elon. It is relocating closer to campus, reopening in 2024.