When customers stop by the United Cigar Shop in Derby, they can now get signature sandwiches in addition to their regular lottery tickets and snacks.
United Cigar owner Dharmesh Patel opened an In & Out Gourmet Food and Deli at his Elizabeth Street shop on June 25. The deli offers hot foods, sandwiches, soups, and Boar’s Head cold cuts.
Patel chose to add the deli after speaking with his brother Mitul, who already operates an In & Out Deli at the Citgo station at 385 Roosevelt Drive in Seymour.
The two decided to open a second location in Patel’s Derby store. It took about a year to renovate an old supply closet, and turn it into a shiny new deli counter.
Patel said a week after opening, he has been getting new customers as a result of the change.
“We see a lot of new customers,” said Patel. “We get our regular flow, but we see a lot of new faces.”
Patel recently hired Trevor Cooke to run the deli.
Cooke admits he already has a favorite sandwich: the steak and cheese.
It’s one of the most popular lunch items — as is the kielbasa and sauerkraut special, Cooke said.
Cooke said he uses the best ingredients for his foods — from top-of-the-line Boar’s Head cold cuts to the freshest meats and vegetables.
Patel and Mitul Patel created all the sandwich recipes themselves — and had fun naming them.
The menu boasts names like Chicken Cry Baby, Hero’s Best Friend, The Bomb, and Actor’s Colony — a nod to the Seymour landmark that burned down 2002.
The Chicken Cry Baby — a chipotle chicken sandwich topped with American cheese, fried onions, peppers and homemade spicy garlic paste — is Patel’s favorite menu item.
It is during breakfast hours, however, that the deli gets its big rush.
Cooke said he prepares four to five dozen breakfast sandwiches a day.
Still, not many people know that the store now offers breakfast options, Cooke said.
“It’s mostly word of mouth right now,” said Cooke.
Regular customers are often on auto-pilot.
“It’s like they have blinders on,” said Cooke. “They didn’t see the deli case.”
“Now,” Cooke said, “they see lights on over here and they’re like ‘Oh, there’s a deli here now?’”
In & Out Gourmet Food and Deli is located at 41 Elizabeth St. in Derby, and is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The United Cigar Shop’s hours of operation are from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The phone number is 203 – 734-2435.