Sam Boesky’
s deli was a Detroit 
legend before it burned to the 
ground in 1968.

the best of everything
Raskin

Darbys 
Remembered

R

estaurants may take what 
can be called a hiatus 
or whatever, but there 
will always be those that hold 
a warm niche in the memories 
of many … They 
will be remem-
bered for so many 
reasons … and 
are why remem-
brances of them 
will always hold 
so much warmth.
The memory 
of a restaurant such as Darbys is 
a heart-warmer … It originally 
was to be just a delicatessen, but 
the gods must have ordained 
that it be much more … and 
was … After all, you don’
t find 
too many eateries that will open 
with seating for 375 people … 
Let alone a delicatessen … and 
one that would need to wait 
three years until getting a liquor 
license … and start out employ-
ing 120 people and, after getting 
the license, serving 475 people 
… These are great reasons why 

restaurants such as 
Darbys and others 
will come back strong 
again.
It was a tragic scene watch-
ing so many people crying 
as Darbys was completely 
destroyed on owner Sam 
Boesky’
s birthday in 1968 ... 
but a blessing he could hire 
many in his following business, 
Stanley Steamer Health Club, 
although not at Darbys … with 
many enjoying his blessings 
as he helped them obtain jobs 
elsewhere … Had the insurance 
company not taken as long 
to settle as it did, a year and 
nine months after the fire, Sam 
would have opened again in 
another location.
Darbys fed almost 5,000 peo-
ple daily and was open Tuesday 
through Sunday for breakfast, 
lunch, dinner and after dinner.
Although now becoming only 
partly delicatessen, it still went 
through more than 60 gallons 
of mushroom barley soup to 

serve on a Sunday.
When Darbys burned to 
the ground, it had been doing 
almost $3,000 daily just in food 
… in those days … topped only 
by Carl’
s Chop House, owned by 
Carl Rosenfeld, with its seating 
for 785 people.
Darbys opened as much 
more than a delicatessen … It 
became a dining showplace of 
the Midwest … with a full menu 
of goodies, coffee shop, its own 
delicatessen department, beau-
tiful dining room and a Skylight 
Lounge with Charlie Dubin at 
the piano. 
Among many stories told 
about Sam Boesky was one by 
his manager, Bernie Kerner … 
Two burglars hit Darbys and 
soon after, another two guys 
showed up for the same purpose 
… “Sorry, fellows,
” Sam said. 
“You’
re too late!” 
Darbys was noted by many 

as the place to be seen after the 
theater, event or even another 
restaurant … and subject of the 
familiar words from numerous 
customers to others … “See you 
at Darbys!” 
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … A 
gent wanted to take his chihua-
hua into a restaurant with him, 
so he put on a pair of dark class-
es and “tapped” his way with a 
cane into the dining establish-
ment.
The manager said, “Hey! You 
can’
t bring a dog in here!” 
The man coming in indig-
nantly claimed, “I’
m blind! This 
is my seeing eye dog!”
“You’
re trying to tell me,
” said 
the manager, “that this little chi-
huahua is a seeing eye dog?” 
 “What?” cried out the man. 
“They gave me a chihuahua?”
CONGRATS … To Dr. Jeffery 
Meyers on his 50th birthday 
… To Dharlene Norris on her 
birthday. 

Email dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

 APRIL 30 • 2020 | 53

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