New York's most famous deli will close its doors on Saturday.
The Carnegie Deli has been a New York staple since it opened in 1937. And over the last several weeks, long lines of New Yorkers have been coming by hoping for one more massive corned beef, pastrami or Reuben sandwich before December 31.
The owner, Marian Harper Levine, whose family acquired the restaurant in 1976, announced the closure in late September. The restaurant, described by USA TODAY in 2013 as "the world's most famous delicatessen," employs about 60 workers.
"It was very emotional for her," restaurant spokeswoman Cristyne Nicholass said. "It’s just time in her life that she wants to move on."
Carnegie Deli will continue wholesale distribution of its products, licensing its brand and selling desserts online, she said. Other locations — one in Bethlehem, Pa., and one in Las Vegas — will remain open.
Levine also owns the building on Seventh Avenue between 54th and 55th streets, steps away from Carnegie Hall. She has no immediate plans for the property, Nicholas said.
Carnegie Deli has already scaled back its operations. At one point it had more than 180 seats when it was leasing extra space at a building next door. But when the rent for that space spiked, Carnegie Deli contracted to just the 60 seats it currently maintains.
Levine's split with her ex-husband, Sandy, and a hubbub over an "illegal gas hookup" that closed the restaurant for most of 2015 fueled New York's gossip pages for a time, the New York Post reported.
