Written and photographed by Courtney Tsitouris, author of www.epi-ventures.com, a blog about dining in and dining out in Cincinnati

At the top of the lunch hour, customers pile in through the
door and I watch Anne as she shifts her sandwich production to second gear.
While constantly pivoting on one leg, she moves from the back counter to the
cash register with surprising speed and efficiency. The massive menus hung
overhead reveal an impressive 31 different sandwich selections and she knows
them all by heart.

As she slams out four or five made-to-order, gourmet stacks
of deli meats, cheeses and toppings, she somehow remembers to smile and greet
each customer. “My people would tell you that I’m straight up and fair,” she
tells me, “but I don’t tolerate rude behavior on the staff level. Our trump
card here is that we’re not a chain and we can watch very carefully how every
customer is treated.”

It’s not a new or a revolutionary restaurant tactic, but
it’s one that’s born from many years in the business. Anne was just a kid when
her parents bought Carl’s Deli back in 1968 and some of her earliest memories
are of weaving through its narrow isles. “I wasn’t even tall enough to
see over the countertops,” she laughs.

Her mom and dad operated the store for over thirty years and
maintained a simple business motto: provide homemade, fresh food in an
easy-to-grab deli environment and do it with a smile. Styling the space after
classic delis in New York, Carl’s became known for its sprawling display case
full of wholesome food, its absence of formal seating, its quick bites to eat
and its superior service. As one of the few authentic delicatessens in Cincinnati,
it became a beloved Hyde Park gem.

When her parents retired from the business, a close friend
of the family purchased Carl’s Deli and Anne went off to explore other career
options. But in the summer of 2004 – about six years later – she was ready to
come back. “I’ve got a sentimental attachment to the place,” she tells me. “I
did some social work, some banking, some accounting. But I was ready to buy
the deli back. I love it here,” she adds.

Today, Anne spends 50 to 60 hours a week working at Carl’s – making 90 percent of the food herself, doing the bookkeeping, taking care of
the payroll and tracking the inventory. Now, it’s her eight-year old son who
wonders through the store, forming emotional ties to it the same
way she did as a child. It becomes clear to me, that for Anne, this isn’t just
business, it’s personal.

In an age of restaurant advertising, self-promotion and
blatant brand-peddling, Ann McManus is both an industry renegade and a breath
of fresh air. “Oh, we’re putting up a website soon,” she informs me. “About
time,” I think to myself. But then, as I take the first bite of my massive
turkey club and glance over at the constantly swinging front door, I know she’s already got all of the marketing she needs.

Carl’s Deli is at 2836 Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45208

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Writer’s Note: Realizing its great potential, Anne’s father originally bought Carl’s Deli back in ’68. After Anne’s parents divorced, her mother operated the deli by herself for many years. It was under her direction that the deli’s sales sky-rocketed. Most notably, she tore down the frozed food section, eliminated the massive grocery department, added fine wines and created an array of sandwich, soup and salad options. She is also known for creating the deli’s cozy atmoshere with small cafe tables.