Fritz’s Market & Deli, located at 706 Lewisburg Hwy, closed its doors for the last time on Saturday, July 31st. Having first opened its doors on February 1st, 2000, Fritz's Market & Deli has won Lincoln County’s Finest every year but two. Fritz’s Market & Deli held its customer appreciation day on Friday, July 17th, which was also the last day that their deli was open. For their customer appreciation day, they gave away 200 hamburgers and 75 hotdogs. They also gave away a number of cookies, chips, and drinks to their loyal customers. When asked about how his customers feel about Fritz's Deli & Market closing, Ruhlander said “I think the customers feel like wherever I go, they’re gonna go. They are not happy.”
The building that houses Fritz’s Market & Deli will still remain, however it will no longer be the same business located there. Fritz Ruhlander, the owner, said “I just own the business, not the rights to the building. I did bid on the building, but I just did not bid high enough. We lost the lease and the building has been sold to someone else.” At this time, not much is known about what will be moving into the location. It may be left as a gas station and a market, or it may change to something completely new. We do know that that location is no longer affiliated with Mr. Ruhlander in any way, and he has actually purchased the Chuckwagon. Fritz’s Market & Deli is now Fritz’s Chuckwagon, located at 702 Norris St.
Previously, with Fritz's Market & Deli, Ruhlander rented the building and had a lease. However, with Fritz’s Chuckwagon, Ruhlander purchased the building outright instead of renting so this situation would not happen again. Once they have pulled everything out and gotten the Chuckwagon back up to standards, Ruhlander hopes for Fritz’s Chuckwagon to be open in a few months. When Fritz's Chuckwagon opens, there will be breakfast and lunch everyday, staying in line with their original menu from Fritz's Market & Deli. They will be offering hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hamburger steak, and sandwiches. They also plan to eventually serve BBQ when they are able to get the firepit going again at the new location.
Ruhlander said “We just want to let everyone know how much we appreciate them for the years we have been here. We have had a lot of good people, and we have lost a lot of good people, but we have been very fortunate with our customer base. We have a great customer base and they’ve carried us through a lot throughout the years.” Throughout its 21 years of business, Fritz’s Market & Deli has become a local icon. Hopefully, the local icon will continue on in its new location as Fritz's Chuckwagon!
Comments