Katz’s Is Taking Its Pastrami Global

The iconic pastrami from Lower East Side institution Katz’s will soon be available around the world. WSJ reports that owner Jake Dell is about to open a 30,000-square-foot production facility in New Jersey so that the restaurant can ship pastrami to other countries. It’s a move that could mean the nearly 130-year-old family restaurant could eventually open more restaurants — including places like Boston or D.C.

Still, for now, Dell plans to focus on the shipping aspect of the business. By the end of this year, people in Mexico and Canada will get first international dibs, and by next year, countries like Colombia can order pastrami and corned beef, too.

Katz’s original location at 205 East Houston Street is a local institution that’s been in the same family for years. Current owner Dell took the restaurant over from his father, uncle, and grandfather, who worked at the restaurant under the Katz family and bought it from them more than 30 years ago. It remains packed constantly, with hordes of tourists and locals lining up to get giant pastramis on rye.

But despite its popularity, Katz’s Delicatessen has not expanded beyond the original location much. The restaurant started shipping its pastrami domestically in the ‘90s, and its first new location outside of the LES will be a stall at the Dekalb Market food hall in Downtown Brooklyn, which has yet to open due to construction delays.

Though the New Jersey facility will primarily be used to focus on the shipping business, here’s to hoping this growth means more places to get the legendary pastrami, too.

• Katz’s Delicatessen to Launch World-Wide Shipping Service [WSJ]