Longtime Middlesex fixture Dan and Marianna's Deli closing

MIDDLESEX BOROUGH – Buy your sandwiches now because the rumors are true.

Dan and Marianna's Deli, located at 1321 Bound Brook Road, is closing at the end of the month, an employee confirmed.

Dan and Marianna's Deli is family-run, specializing in cold cuts, subs, wraps, breakfast sandwiches, party platters and catering. 

It has been open for 29 years, according to its Facebook page.

When news of the deli's closing began circulating around Facebook, hundreds of customers shared their thoughts and disbelief.

"Any time you see a small business close it's a sad thing, especially one so closely tied with the town for many years," one person commented, adding that the deli was a Middlesex "staple."

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Another person said the deli was known for its "hometown vibe" and said that it's the kind of eatery "you don’t see anymore."

She said the news of its closing is "terribly sad," adding that Dan and Marianna's was more than just sandwiches, it was "nostalgia."

Marianna Rosa Plank, 60, of Somerville, died on March 31 at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Somerset surrounded by her loving family, according to her obituary. She was co-owner of Dan and Marianna's.

The deli has been a family tradition for many locals.

Andrew Perez, a 19-year-old who was born and raised in Middlesex, said that he's been eating at Dan and Marianna's "since I could talk!" 

His favorite meal from the deli is the pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich, "with extra ketchup, of course," he said.

The news of the deli's closing put Perez "in anguish," he said. 

He was one of the first people to share the news of the closing on Facebook to ensure people could get their hands "on that final taste of greatness."

Perez said that he'll miss the great customer service and friendly conversation that always amounted to more than just "quick service and being asked debit or credit."

Jessica Tavormina, 36, said her family has been eating at Dan and Marianna's "for as long as I can remember."

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She's lived in Middlesex nearly her entire life and remembers that her dad would "go every Friday morning and pick up tuna for a company lunch because everyone loved it so much."

"The tuna is outrageously good," she added. "Basically, everything they had was top-notch."

She also said that her mom "won't buy roast beef anywhere else, so now we will have to find another place locally that can stand up to the original, which will be hard."

Her entire family was upset the deli was closing, "but understood about the situation," she said. "Dan deserves to retire, especially after Marianna passing."

Like many other locals, Tavormina said the staff at Dan and Marianna's "watched me grow up."

"There was no where else where you could walk in and they would know your name," Tavormina said. "I would go there with my dad all the time. My family will miss the great hometown feel as well as all the memories and nostalgia it brings."

Dan and Marianna's is open Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. The deli is closed on Sunday.

Staff Writer Nick Muscavage is an award-winning watchdog reporter whose work spans many topics and has spurred the creation of a state law. Contact him: 908-243-6615; ngmuscavage@gannettnj.com; @nmuscavage.