WOW.

Very rarely do I walk into a business and say WOW.

I always remember the ones that do, and I frequent them.

Case in point? The Central Deli in Florida. It’s your typical deli, what isn’t typical is the speed at which they complete orders, the level of attention and service you get, and the quality of the food – not to mention the prices are very reasonable. I’ve seen the place go from completely dead to completely full and be cleared back out in under 5 minutes.

All that said – QuickChek, a deli/convenience store/gas station which is already well established in NJ has opened up a store across the street from the Central. I held out for a bit, last week I stopped in for a breakfast sandwich, the place was dead. One of the staff was just gazing out the front door with a blank look on their face. I got my sandwich and the place started filling up again. It’s what I feared when QuickChek had come in, that my personal favorite deli would be run out of town.

Today I went to QuickChek for gas and lunch, and again – said WOW. First of all, plenty of gas pumps all widely spaced and protected from the elements by a large canopy. Fuel prices are about 15-25 cents cheaper per gallon for premium (what I use) than any other area gas station. My car tends to run better on QuickChek gas too, IMHO.

The store? It’s big and very well lit. The aisles are widely spaced, the selection is vast, there’s very little chance of bumping into another patron of the store at any time. The deli? Outstanding. They’ve got your typical Subway/Quiznos type options, but instead of making your request to a person – you go through your various options on a touch-screen kiosk which both prints your receipt as well as queue’s the order.

The coffee stations are all clean, with plenty of space and plenty of options. I’d say the coffee is better than most deli brews – currently I’m taking care of a ‘creamy vanilla’ – the flavor is just right. Once I was done making my coffee, my sub was waiting for me and then I made my way to the front of the store to check out.

I paid $5.34 for a medium coffee a double-meat 6-inch Italian combo. Pretty good deal. A similar offering at Subway or Quiznos would cost around $7 and not nearly have the same level of quality or taste. Most standard Deli sandwiches start at around $8 for simply too much food. I guess it pays to play the averages and get it just right.

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