Larry's Lunch Box marks 30th anniversary in Naples
Tim Aten
While many restaurants struggle to stay open for three years, Larry’s Lunch Box Delicatessen has been operating for three decades in the Naples area.
Larry and Marci Redding launched Larry’s Lunch Box on Dec. 23, 1987, in a little space near the Collier County courthouse on Airport-Pulling Road in East Naples. It has long been a favorite lunch spot for sheriff’s deputies and other county government workers.
“We really haven’t changed much at all. I think that’s what’s neat about it,” said Kimberly Johnston, who was less than 6 months old when her parents started Larry’s Lunch Box. “My parents built this business. They had something great back then. And it's still great. The quality has always been the same. I think it’s something to be celebrated. It’s nice to see a nice family business make it in this town and has been growing with the town.”
The longevity is understandable. The Reddings have proven they know how to make a good sandwich and a bowl of soup.
Their Reuben — still the top seller — piles high the hot corned beef with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on grilled rye bread. It’s reminiscent of Jewish deli fare, as is Larry’s matzo ball soup that Larry Redding makes from scratch daily with kosher-style broth.
“He makes all the soups. We’re super known for our soups,” Marci Redding said. “We also make chopped liver, pastrami, corned beef. We have people come from the east coast to buy stuff here.”
The Reddings arrive to work at 6 a.m. daily to start making the soups and prepare for the day before the business opens at 10. In addition to matzo ball, the popular chicken noodle, split pea and other soups are freshly made by Larry Redding for the original eatery, as well as its even busier spinoff that opened five years ago off U.S. 41 North in Neapolitan Way shopping center in Naples.
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The star of the show, though, is Marci, who relishes her take-charge role as the “Soup Nazi,” even displaying on a wall at the original deli an autographed photo of the no-nonsense character made famous in the “Seinfeld” television series.
“You pretty much have to be ready when you come up here,” she said. “We have a line out the door.”
She naturally plays the acerbic part, especially busting the chops of indecisive patrons who hold up the line to place midday orders.
“Some people like it and some people don’t. They either love it or hate it,” her daughter said. “She’s the hardest-working person I’ve ever met. Same with my dad. They are there night and day.”
Decades ago when they moved to Naples, Larry Redding helped open the first Ritz-Carlton resort here and his wife worked at St. George and the Dragon, a classic restaurant that operated for more than 40 years in Naples.
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Their mom-and-pop deli features specialty sandwiches and other traditional deli items named after family, friends and relatives. The menu also has burgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads and sides.
“The menu itself and the structure of the business and what we do is pretty much the same as when we opened,” Johnston said. “The heart of the business and the heart of the menu is exactly the same.”
Although a third location in downtown Fort Myers closed last January, the second Larry’s Lunch Box continues to extend the reach of the business. The second generation — Johnston and her husband, Kevan, who worked at the original location for nearly 10 years — runs the second location.
Don’t be surprised if the family’s consistent hard work and quality food service operation expands again in the future.
“People ask for us to come to Bonita all the time,” Kimberly Johnston said. “It’s something I’d eventually like to do when the timing is right.”
Larry’s Lunch Box, 2650 Airport-Pulling Road, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. For more information call 239-775-2500 or go to larryslunchbox.com.