After Hymie’s Deli in Lower Merion had to close its doors to make repairs following an early January flood, its regulars were left stranded without their favorite dining spot, write Zoe Greenberg and Michael Klein for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Owner Louis Barson said he has received dozens of messages and calls from people who wanted to know when their favorite spot would reopen.

“It’s not just the food,” said Linda Z, who has visited the deli with her husband, Max, every Sunday for more than four decades. “The food’s fabulous. It’s the people. It’s like a family there.”

Seventy-four-year-old Brad Sinoff is another regular who eats at Hymie’s every morning, seven days a week. He arrives even before the eatery is officially open, but they let him in and prepare his food anyway. He has been forced to look for a new breakfast place for the past few weeks, but none of them measured up.

Though less visible, the flood caused much more damage than when the restaurant was hit head-on by a truck in 2013. Then, Barson was able to reopen within 24 hours. Now, he hopes the restaurant will reopen by February 12.

Read more about Hymie’s Deli and the flooding damage it sustained in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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