By Erica Thomas, managing editor
TRUSSVILLE — Momma Goldberg’s Delis in Trussville and downtown Birmingham are closing after feeling a harsh impact from restrictions due to COVID-19.
Nick Davis, the president and primary shareholder of Momma G’s Inc., which owns Momma Goldberg’s Deli, said the impact is being felt company-wide.
“We had 18 open before all of this, we have about six open now,” said Davis. “We have two company restaurants open, one at South College in Auburn with a drive-thru, so it has sustained pretty well. We had to close the other company restaurants when the sales dropped below $150 a day.”
Davis said with rent, utilities, payroll and other expenses due, the decrease in cash flow was too much for the company to justify.
Momma Goldberg’s Deli in Trussville is located off of Chalkville Mountain Road, in a shopping center managed by Ponder Properties. Davis said his landlords have been helpful and gracious during this time. In return, the company is leaving some of the items inside the location in order to make it easier for a new restaurant to move into the location.
“The landlord wanted us to keep some of the things in here, so we are going to take a couple of things and leave the restaurant setup for him because he was so nice to us,” said Davis. “We will take down all of our logo stuff and leave everything else.”
Ponder Properties Broker Terry Ponder said the company is doing the best it can to educate and assist their tenants.
“We take things on a case-by-case basis,” said Ponder. “Ever since this thing started, we’ve been sending all of our tenants some information on how to get relief.”
According to its website, the Ponder Properties Brokerage team provides leases, sells and manages nearly 2 million square feet of office, retail and industrial properties located throughout central Alabama.
As for Momma Goldberg’s, Davis believes the future of the Auburn locations depends on the next few months.
“I think the Auburn restaurants will survive as long as we have students and football in the fall,” said Davis.
The first Momma Goldberg’s Deli opened at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Donahue Drive in Auburn, in 1976. It is the oldest independently-owned restaurant in the city.
The only Momma Goldberg’s location in the Birmingham-metro that will remain open is the one in Homewood, which is a franchised restaurant.