DAYTON — Carmen’s Deli & Bistro, a downtown Dayton fixture for 15 years, will close at the end of the month.
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The COVID pandemic and changes in the way people work since that time -- remotely -- are to blame for a drop off in business to the point that Chef and owner Haitham Imam cannot afford to open anymore, he tells News Center 7′s Mike Campbell.
Since 2013, Carmen’s has been at the ground floor of the Kettering/Stratacache Tower on North Main Street.
Carmen’s opened at the beginning of the great recession in the Fifth/Third building, then moved across the street to the Kettering/Stratacache Tower.
Chef Haitham’s dream was to leave the world of corporate food service and open his own restaurant. He took that dream from his days as a graduate of the culinary and hospitality program at Sinclair Community College and made it a reality.
Named for his former wife, the plan is for Carmen’s to live on at another location, Imam said.
“Keep looking for Carmen’s deli somewhere else -- in the suburbs,” he said.
The downtown business will be missed, especially by customers who work in the tower.
“He always makes you feel welcome. . . . and the food is wonderful as well,” longtime customer Vanda Morgan said.
Morgan noted that she was a regular at Carmen’s -- usually a couple of times a week. She had heard the rumors about Carmen’s closing and hoped they weren’t true.
“We’re going to miss him,” Morgan said. “We’re hoping he will pop up somewhere soon so we can come back and see him,” she said.
Carmen’s Deli & Bistro will end its run downtown on April 28.