Deli Caters to Customers for 43 Years

For 43 years, the family that runs Towaco B&R Deli has been getting to know their customers.

The customers have, for the most part, remained the same at the deli, with regulars often stopping in on their way to work to grab a breakfast sandwich or popping in at lunchtime for a salad. Owner Robert Nichols Jr. said the deli has been a well-established part of Towaco since his father, Robert Nichols, first opened up shop across from the

“He was in sheet metals by trade and had a bread route,” Nichols said of his father.

The bread route inspired him to open up his own deli. Nichols said his family moved to Towaco when he was a child and he has been living in the section of ever since.

A modest Nichols shrugged when asked what sets his deli apart from other local delis.

“Service is quick here. All my salads are homemade,” he said.

An employee of Towaco B&R Deli and neighbor of Nichols said he has enjoyed working there for the past four years.

“I have a great boss who works around my schedule,” he said.

Nichols’ mother-in-law, Marsha Bay, is also an employee of the deli.

The customers are fond of Nichols as well, he said, and Nichols has become much more than the owner of a deli. Nichols said he has a phone directory in the shop and often makes recommendations of other local businesses to his customers when they are in need of a service.

“I just get to know everybody,” he said.

The deli has been somewhat affected by the economy and other events, Nichols said.

“Since 9/11, it hasn’t been the same,” he noted.

Nichols said he is not exactly sure why the event may have impacted the deli but that he has noticed many of his customers have dropped off over the last several years after losing their jobs.

“They tell me, ‘I won’t be coming in any more because I lost my job,’” he said.

Still, Nichols said he is happy to come to work each day and cater to customers, whether they are looking for food or simply conversation.

Towaco B&R Deli is open seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 5:30 a.m. to noon on Sunday.