Cheese n Stuff Deli to close its doors after decades in midtown Phoenix
PHOENIX - They say cheese gets better with age, but a Valley cheese shop that opened in the 1940s is wrapping things up at the end of the month.
What they're saying:
Cheese n Stuff Deli is at Central Avenue and Camelback Road. It opened in 1949 when Harry Truman was president and color TV was introduced to the public.
By one count, more than a million sandwiches have been served out of the little old cheese shop.
On April 9, FOX 10 visited the shop, and the word was out. The lunch line stretched from wall to wall with people wanting to get one last bite.
Stan is a regular, and insists this place cuts the mustard.
"Best place in town. You come here, the people are wonderful and friendly. They make exactly what you want. You love it, and you come back," Stan said.
Other customers are playing catch-up, trying it for the first time and are sorry to see it go.
"We just thought we'd give it a shot, kind of like the hometown feel. It’s better than some of the fast food chains," a customer said.
The backstory:
The family bought the shop in the 70s.
The Gouda, the bad, and the ugly. From breakdowns to break-ins.
Stanley Zawatski is the big cheese around the deli, after taking over for his father. He’s seen it all.
"After a while, the whole thing of standing up, running back-and-forth, dealing with the cases breaking down and all that stuff, so it’s like, enough is enough," Zawatski said.
He's in his 60s now, and his daughter would rather fix people than sandwiches. She plans to become a nurse.
What's next:
You could call the closing bittersweet.
"It'll probably later on hit me," Zawatski said.
Pictures of family and famous people at the deli mark the passing of time.
Customers like Stan will have to find a new favorite place to grab a bite, but it won’t be the same, no matter how you slice it.
"You know, there are always changes in life, and this is one of the changes. Welcome to everyone that has treated us so well through the years," Stan said.
Closing day is set for April 30. There is some talk of selling it to a new owner, but the deal is still in the works.