Arnie’s family deli forced to say goodbye
Owner Elia Challita walks through what was once the bakery as his family prepares to close Arnie’s Manhattan Restaurant and Deli in Newport Beach on Friday.
The salty aroma of fresh pastrami sandwiches piled high and served with homemade pickles for years filled the 3,000-square-foot East Coast-style deli tucked away in a dilapidated shopping center surrounded by Newport Beach office buildings.
Now, the scent that had welcomed lunchtime customers to Arnie’s Manhattan Deli since 1993 is no longer. The Challita family, who has owned the business for decades, closed the doors at the Dove Street location on Friday afternoon for the last time and turned in their keys.
SueAnn Challita, 30, has been working as a manager and server at the family deli for years. She first started helping out at her parent’s restaurant when she was 12 years old. It’s something she thought she would continue throughout her life.
“It’s going to be weird waking up in the morning and having Arnie’s not be here anymore,” she said. “It’s been a huge part of my life.”
Antoine Challita, left, helps Jack Hernandez push a stove to his truck as the Challita family prepares to close Arnie’s Manhattan Restaurant and Deli in Newport Beach on Friday.
In June, the property owner served the Challita family with a notice to vacate the storefront by Sept.30. Their lease, which had been month to month for the past three years, was ending, said Elia Challita, SueAnn’s father.
The 5.7-acre MacArthur Square commercial center, built in 1974 on the corner of Dove Street and Scott Drive, just west of MacArthur Boulevard had fallen into disrepair. The paint is peeling off the wood buildings and many of the center’s storefronts — once filled with restaurants, medical offices and retail shops — remain vacant.
Irvine-based developer Newport Place Residential LLC had sought to replace the center with a four-story residential complex with 384 apartments and 5,677 square feet of restaurant space.
The city Planning Commission voted in June to reject The Residences at Newport Place, citing insufficient public access to a proposed half-acre park, potential parking issues and an inadequate retail component.
The developer appealed the decision to the City Council in July, but council members rejected the project as well. Newport Place Residential LLC could resubmit a revised project to the city, but so far, city officials have not received any new plans for the property, said Community Development Director Kim Brandt.
Elia Challita said he’s not sure why his lease is ending now, but he suspects his daughter showing up at city meetings to rally against the development didn’t help.
A lawyer representing Newport Place Residential LLC and a representative for Business Properties Management Company, the center’s property manager, did not respond to phone calls seeking comment Friday.
On Wednesday, the family served the last of their customers. The next two days were devoted to cleaning out the restaurant, selling what they could and leaving behind what no one wanted.
By Friday morning, the counters, once filled with assembled sandwiches and hot soup, sat bare. The case at the front of the restaurant that displayed fresh deli meat was empty.
The light blue paint peeling from the walls hinted at the murals of New York City landmarks that had been ripped down in preparation of the closure.
The business had been bustling for years and earned a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on the deli’s Facebook page. By noon on weekdays, the line would often be out the door. Three phone lines for to-go orders would ring off the hook, said SueAnn Challita.
“We can seat 200 people and we’d be completely full,” she said.
Arnie’s Manhattan Restaurant and Deli in Newport Beach is closing. The restaurant has been at this location in Newport Beach since February 1993.
Dozens of longtime customers showed up at the deli on Thursday, unaware of the closure and surprised by the state of the restaurant, SueAnn Challita said.
“A lot of people didn’t think it would really happen,” she said. “If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I thought it would really happen.”
Elia Challita purchased the Arnie’s Manhattan Deli original location on Bristol Street from a man named Arnie in the early 1990s. An architect by trade who attended college on the East Coast, Elia Challita was attracted to the business in part for the desire to be his own boss.
But it was the deli fare that really sold him.
“I wanted to start my own business and I didn’t want to work for anybody,” he said. “This was the best opportunity for me to do that and enjoy the food I love.”
Elia Challita said while he doesn’t have immediate plans to reopen at another location, he said he doesn’t think this will be the end of his deli adventure. If he does reopen, he said, he’ll do one thing differently.
“I’m going to name it Elia’s deli,” he said.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
