35 years later, amid increasing competition, Schroeder’s New Deli remains a favorite on Broad Street.
By Natalie Simms
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In a few short weeks, Charlie and John Schroeder will celebrate 35 years in business since they opened Schroeder’s New Deli. Despite increasing competition and more than three decades of change, their eclectic-style and unique menu have stood the test of time and continue to make them one of the most popular restaurants in Northwest Georgia.
“The number one thing that keeps us going is our food. Everyone loves it…folks who have been coming for years, still come in and eat the same thing,” says Charlie. “As long as John and his crew continue to make the product the same way, there will be happy customers who continue to come back.”
John took his cooking talents and Charlie gave the financial backing to open Schroeder’s New Deli on Feb. 6, 1981. Charlie says he borrowed $8,500 to get the restaurant off the ground. At the start, the restaurant only encompassed half of their current space with a $250 monthly lease. Success followed, the restaurant expanded, the brothers purchased their building and completed a historic renovation, and here they are 35 years later.
“A lot of our success has been that we’ve been in the right place at the right time,” says John. “When we first looked to open on Broad Street, a lot of folks told us not to, that we wouldn’t make it there. But I knew Broad Street was where we needed to be.”
Over the years, some 800 employees have come through the restaurant, many of whom have been employed for decades. Not to mention family involvement. Both their mother and father have worked at the restaurant and John’s wife Tracy also helped get the restaurant open while pregnant with the couple’s first child.
“We are different…more laid back and I think that is what contributes to our stable workforce,” says Charlie. “We have people that we can’t run off. But it is walking a thin line between how structured you need to be as an employer but loose enough that it doesn’t hurt the business.”
Adds John: “We try to be as people-oriented as possible. Everybody comes into our restaurant…if you come in and look around, you will see senior adults, students with nose-piercings and police officers at another table…we’re inviting to everybody.”
Despite the atmosphere, hands down, it is their food that drives their popularity. John is the head chef or “cooks the beans” as Charlie says, while he “counts the beans” and handles the office and accounting duties. Over the years, John has taken his creative, culinary talent and whipped up some tasty, original dishes.
“Our Roast Beef Relief is our number one sandwich,” says John. “Our potato skins and nachos are extremely popular and, of course, our sweet tea. Everyone loves our sweet tea.”
Charlie says he thinks the pretzels also are extremely popular since they sell more than 1,200 a month.
“And the fried mushrooms are great, the best I’ve ever had. But our sandwiches are all really good and unique. Plus, we’re not real expensive. We really work to keep that balanced,” he says.
Schroeder’s pizzas are also well-liked. Their special “Mexican sauce” makes their pizza stand out in a crowded pizza market.
“It is our own signature sauce. Over the years, customers will want us to add this or that but we just tell them that it’s our own signature sauce…we’ve never changed it in 35 years,” says John.
Aside from their menu, the brothers say it’s their involvement in the community that also is important for the business.
“The City of Rome is just incredible,” says John. “We were here before the Downtown Development Authority formed but everyone from the DDA to Chamber of Commerce to the Convention and Visitors Bureau just does a great job at promoting our city. We are just lucky to be a part of it.
“Whether it’s a tennis tournament, events at The Forum, college events or just folks visiting Rome, they always come to Schroeder’s first. For us, all the pieces just fit together…we work with a lot of great folks in our community.”
35 more years?
The brothers say they have worked to develop a lasting business, whether they are at the helm or not.
“I am nearing retirement age. I probably have about four more years of working full-time at six days a week. But we will still be present, whether we are in here day-to-day or have someone running it as a general manager,” says John.
“I went to Georgia Tech and graduated with a management degree. One thing I learned is that any business always has to have a long-term business plan,” says Charlie. “Our plan right now is that John and I will always have our hand in it, whether it is run by someone else in the family or we hire a general manager. But, that’s our retirement. We definitely have no plans to just shut it down should we not be able to continue running it.”
Background
The Schroeders have had several franchises open in Northwest Georgia with the most durable being Sam Edwards’ restaurant off Martha Berry in Armuchee. Edwards has added his “SAM burgers” and “chickenSamwich” to the traditional menu. Locations in Calhoun and Cartersville also were tried.
Hours
- Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
- Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
- Sunday: 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Information
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