A Clinton Street renaissance

Hero’s Deli gives new life to old business

By Laura Fitzgerald
Posted 9/18/19

The old Eddie’s Deli in the Village of Montgomery is getting a facelift with the opening of Hero’s Deli. When co-owners Eric Tonnesen and Edwin Rodriguez decided to open a business …

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A Clinton Street renaissance

Hero’s Deli gives new life to old business

Posted

The old Eddie’s Deli in the Village of Montgomery is getting a facelift with the opening of Hero’s Deli.
When co-owners Eric Tonnesen and Edwin Rodriguez decided to open a business venture together, they originally wanted to open a sports bar. When they found Montgomery, they decided to open a deli instead.
“This town happened to look like it needed a deli,” Tonnesen said.

The pair gutted the old deli, installing new flooring, plumbing, doors, glass and more. Using their background in construction, the pair also brought the building up to current building code, installing a new ventilation system, central air conditioning, heating, exit signs, fire safety systems and more.

Now, the restaurant has a modern, open-air concept, with seating for 50 people, free WiFi, USB ports and five flat-screen TVs.

“We pretty much brought something back from the dead,” Tonnesen said.

The menu features straightforward, affordable deli fare with traditional favorites and a few twists, Tonnesen said. It has classic items such as sandwiches, heroes, grilled cheese, wings, burgers, and more. All salads are made fresh and Tonnesen said he hopes the deli will make its own sauces in the future.

Tonnesen said they plan to stay open later on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights, which corresponds to major sports games. Fans can watch the game on the TV and play fantasy football using WiFi. There will be specials for finger foods, beer and wine.

Tonnesen said he wants the restaurant to be a place for residents to go in town to get lunch or watch a game, rather than travel to larger shopping areas outside of Montgomery.

“That’s somewhere you can go in town, where you live,” Tonnesen said. “It’s local business trying to keep it in the local community.”

Closing at 6 p.m. every day, the restaurant stays open past the lunch rush, going the extra mile for its customers, Tonnesen said.

The inspiration for the name came not only from the sandwich, but from every day “heroes” who live in Montgomery, including parents, veterans, police officers and more.

“The name came about because we figured an old town, there is a lot of history behind it and it had to have some heroes here,” Tonnesen said. “Police department, fire department, moms, dads and a lot of heroes.”

Located at 118 Clinton Street, Montgomery, Hero’s Deli is open every day from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more, visit Hero’s Deli on Facebook or call 769-7630.