38 | SEPTEMBER 8 • 2022 

W

hen the late Jack 
Goldberg opened 
Stage Deli with 
his wife, Harriet, in 1962, 
most customers patronized 
delicatessens for hearty, meaty 
sandwiches on crusty rye 
bread. These were featured at 
Stage, but the Goldbergs had 
higher aspirations. They want-
ed “to elevate Jewish delis to 
fine dining but with quick and 
good service,” explains his son 
Steven Goldberg, owner and 
manager of Stage Deli, now in 
West Bloomfield. 
Besides its popular food, 
the original Stage Deli in Oak 
Park was known for attract-
ing actors from the nearby 
Northland Theater owned by 
the Nederlander family. 

“The Nederlanders would 
bring the cast over after per-
formances; it was a place to see 
and be seen,” Goldberg says. 
The restaurant’s walls were 
decorated with Charles Kohl’s 
caricatures of actors and other 
celebrities, so it was not a typi-
cal Detroit delicatessen.
Steven Goldberg got his 
start at the restaurant washing 
dishes at age 7, supervised by 
kind restaurant employees. 
Later on, although he worked 
as a lawyer in Los Angeles for 
years, he was always interested 
in food and attended a culi-
nary arts program at UCLA. 
When Jack Goldberg 
became ill and subsequently 
died in 1994, Steven took over 
the restaurant and “gradually 
added items to appeal to 
a contemporary palate.” 
Today, corned beef 
and Reuben sandwiches 
are still popular menu 
items, he says, but so are 
salads, broiled white fish 
and stir fry dishes.
In 1982, the restau-
rant moved to a much 
larger location in West 
Bloomfield, which 
Goldberg says was ini-
tially a bit daunting as 
the area was just devel-
oping. But, from the first 
day, customers lined 
up. About a decade ago, 
large windows and a 
patio were added. The patio 
was especially useful when the 

pandemic struck, as some cus-
tomers sought outdoor seating 
as a safer option, a preference 
that has continued. 
When business closures 
were mandated in 2020 to 
prevent the spread of COVID, 
Stage Deli closed for only a 
half-day, quickly gearing up 
for a major shift to 100% car-
ryout with curbside pickup. 
Fortunately, the restaurant 
already had a strong carryout 
business. 
“We adapted and were quick 
on our feet. We added heat-
ers and serve outside if there 
isn’t a foot of snow,” Goldberg 
explains. 
Staff members were 
already wearing masks before 
the mandate and a special 
germ-killing air filtration sys-
tem was installed to counteract 
COVID. A core group of 20 
employees kept the restaurant 
operating, and there was no 
COVID transmission at Stage. 
Today, operations have 
returned to about 70 percent 
in-person and 30 percent car-
ryout. “Customers trust in our 

adherence to safety standards,” 
says Goldberg. 
Stage customers are diverse. 
Goldberg estimates that about 
half are Jewish and include 
businesspeople and families 
with children. “We accommo-
date many tastes, but a bigger 
segment eats comfort foods,” 
Goldberg says. 
The biggest challenge today 
is “costs, costs and costs. 
Food costs have been spiking 
ridiculously. Labor has been 
hard to find, and fuel and 
utility costs have gone up as 
well,” he says. 
Staffing was challenging 
even before COVID, which 
Goldberg attributes in part 
to fewer young people being 
interested in part-time jobs 
during school. “We’ve always 
paid above minimum wage 
and offered bonuses during 
COVID,” he adds.
Like many other businesses, 
Stage Deli has been challenged 
by reduced availability 
from suppliers and delayed 
deliveries. Goldberg noted 
the worn chairs in the dining 

High-quality food and service remain 
Stage Deli’s foundation for 60 years.

Much More than 
Corned Beef

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Goldberg family: Ian, Steven and Jolie. 

Stage Deli has always featured 
delicious sandwiches.

business SPOTlight

brought to you in partnership with 
B I R M I N G H A M

 

