Patio West Deli in Rialto showcases resilience through COVID-19 pandemic

Patio West Deli has been operating in Rialto for over 39 years, and for 29 of those years, it’s been owned and operated by locals Gloria Miller and Claudia Szypusz.

The name behind this deli, Patio West Deli, is exactly what has kept this mom and pop business afloat through the worst of the pandemic.

“We are blessed that we have a patio area in which we currently have tables that are socially distant and space for about 20 people to dine in,” said Miller.

She said that since the start of the pandemic the deli has implemented new processes in order to keep not only employees safe, but to also protect the safety of customers.

“We are very customer service and customer oriented. Since March we’ve implemented mask wearing mandates for all employees and we also ask customers to do the same. Every single table in the patio is wiped down after each use and we do the same with our service counter,” continued Miller.

Although the deli has adapted to many of the new changes in operation, the business has also faced some distress in the process.

“Since Memorial Day our foot traffic has been good. But the six weeks before that we’ve seen a heavy decline in both customers and sales. Luckily even before this pandemic became prevalent we had already implemented phone orders and pick-ups into our business practices…so that provided some relief in terms of changes we didn’t have to adapt to, because we were already offering it,” Miller said.

Aside from having a tight nit team of four operating the business and loyal customers, what makes this deli thrive is that all ingredients are fresh and sandwiches are hand crafted to perfection.

“Everything is made here and it’s all made from scratch. We even cut many of our own meats and cheeses…along with chopping our own lettuce and slicing our own tomatoes. We have a list of goodies which include fresh lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, pickles, onions, pepperoncinis, cucumbers, jalapeños, black olives and we have fresh avocado,” continued Miller.

Some of the homeruns at the deli include its homemade chili, egg salad and chicken salad, to name a few.

“Our most popular items include our four meat Italian grinder, the chicken salad sandwich and our Patio West Deli Sandwich which includes egg salad and crispy pastrami,” Miller said.

Aside from being busy serving the Rialto and surrounding communities all week, Miller and Szypusz still make time to reflect on the immense gratitude they have for all of their customers and their two loyal longtime employees, Candace and Melonie.

“We love our customers and we will continue to pride ourselves in customer service. We hope they can sense our genuine concern for their lives as well as ours during this time. We are believers in the Lord…we are committed and are persevering because of Him,” concluded Miller. Patio West Deli is located at 108 S. Riverside Avenue, Rialto. For more information, call 909-820-0676.