Over ten years ago, Wilmette natives Kiki Eliopoulos, Jack DeMar and Eric Kogan walked the halls of New Trier Township High School with big dreams of opening a restaurant together.
After years of DeMar harboring a “big crush” on Eliopoulos, she said the pair dated fleetingly at the end of their senior year before splitting apart. Last year, they reunited as co-workers, then as a couple.
“That was our own love pop-up,” said Eliopoulos, laughing with now-fiance DeMar at a table outside Mensch’s, the pop-up Jewish deli they started with Kogan.
Now, more of their teenage dreams are coming to life. After a successful past spring and fall at their pop-up location at 1619 Chicago Ave., the trio plans to open a new, brick and mortar version of their Jewish delicatessen down the street at 1608 Chicago Ave.
The owners hope to open their doors this coming March or April, Eliopoulos said.
Sourcing their bagels from New York Bagel & Bialy Corporation in Skokie, the current pop-up opened last spring in DeMar’s salad to-go shop, Picnic. Word of the new spot to get open-faced bagel sandwiches, fresh-squeezed orange juice and coffee brought in lines out the door each Saturday and Sunday.
Positive responses from the community after soft-launching their idea encouraged them to expand beyond these initial aspirations, DeMar said.
The trio implemented tips they gleaned from customer feedback in the first few months at the “trial” location, shifting opening hours earlier to 9 a.m. this fall and making changes to their assembly line to improve efficiency.
“I learned so much just from the community telling me what they want,” said Eliopoulos, who also bakes the pies and sweet pastry items on the menu at the pop-up.
The pop-up’s offerings give a taste of what customers can expect from their expanded, full-service menu. Beyond bagels and sweets, the broad selection will include quintessential Jewish deli offerings such as hot sandwiches, soups and breakfast items, according to DeMar.
Eliopoulos said she plans to broaden her sweets selection, too.
“We just want to serve good food and for everyone to feel welcome,” Eliopoulos said.
The new location will be on the same stretch of businesses along Chicago Ave. as the pop up and the two other Evanston restaurants DeMar owns: Pono Ono and Picnic.
DeMar said he hopes the trio’s deli brings in a wider range of people from Evanston, neighboring towns and beyond. “It’s (for) more than just our age group and some locals,” DeMar said. “Grandpa eats a pastrami sandwich, the kids can get a French toast and (customers our age) get some bagels and a pie to go.”
While aiming to allure a broader customer base, Mensch’s pop-up garnered a dedicated Northwestern following, as well. Weinberg juniors Peter Ryan and Caroline French said they’ve made it out to the pop-up almost every weekend since its opening last spring.
The pop-up provides students with an excuse to rendezvous over bagels and coffee on weekend mornings before heading to the library, Ryan said.
Offering a sweeping menu selection to satisfy the cravings of every age, DeMar and Eliopoulos said the pastrami sandwich is their favorite new menu item so far. After brining and pickling for two weeks and smoking the meat for an additional 14 hours, the trio tasted their recipe recently.
“Our partner Eric just gave me a big hug, and I was like, ‘Okay, we nailed it,’” DeMar said.
With much to look forward to this spring, the pop-up location’s doors will remain open Saturdays and Sundays this fall, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., through Oct. 29.
For avid Mensch’s fans like Ryan, the deli’s spring opening cannot come soon enough.
“I’ll go two or three times a week,” Ryan said.
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Twitter: @anna__bock
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