The St. Louis metro area’s southern suburbs are about to get more delicious: Gioia’s Deli is expanding to Jefferson County, with a slated opening of early December. The restaurant will take over a former Goodcents Subs storefront at 3870 Vogel in Arnold, bringing to the area the deli’s signature hot salami and other sandwich favorites, which have been dazzling diners for more than a century.
It will mark the sixth Gioia’s location in the St. Louis metro area, with another scheduled to open in Wentzville next spring.
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The Location
According to Gioia’s owner Alex Donley, Arnold is a part of the area that has been on his radar for several years—all the way back to 2013. Back then, he and his wife and Gioia’s co-owner, Amanda, used to take the brand’s now-retired food truck to different parts across the area, taking notes of where the sandwiches would sell out. Arnold was always one of its most popular destinations; it was also one place that would keep popping up when they would poll social media followers about their next location.
“There is a trend in our industry where there is a hot area, and everybody goes to it,” Donley says. “We realized pretty quickly that is a fruitless endeavor because hot areas change. For us, it is important to be where people support their local community and businesses, and Arnold fits that to a T. In fact, the reason we weren’t there sooner is because we look for existing locations rather than new builds, and nothing goes out of business there because there is so much support from the community.”
This year, the Donleys finally find their spot in the former Goodcents Subs location. As Donley explains, he’s been eager to get into the area, seeing the success of such restaurants as Twisted Tavern, which he and his wife frequent.
“There’s a two-hour wait out there on a Tuesday,” Donley says. “It’s incredible.”
The Menu
The new location will offer a similar experience as their current locations. As Donley explains, it’s important for there to be a consistent feel across the brand; in that spirit, the menu will be the same as it is at other locations, with special emphasis on the restaurant’s famous hot salami.
Despite the same food offerings, however, Donley notes that each location forms its own identity based on the customers and employees. He’s excited to see that come alive in Arnold.
“We want to be the neighborhood deli in every municipality we go into,” Donely says. “And what is a neighborhood deli? To us, it’s a place where you can walk in and we know who you are. We donate to your fundraisers, support the local teams, and consistently serve you a great product that you are proud to have in your neighborhood. That is the spirit of the Gioia’s I grew up with, and it’s the one that we want to continue.”
