Koch's Deli, with its famous sandwiches and large campus fan base, reopened for business yesterday at 11 a.m. after being closed for much of the summer.
Customers crowded the store all day to welcome back owner Bob Koch and his staff, and, of course, to partake in some of Koch's classic sandwiches and milkshakes.
The first closure of Koch's occurred last April, when Koch was seriously injured in a car accident. After opening again for graduation, Koch had to close on May 16 due to his mother's death and scheduling conflicts among his servers, as well as his own injuries.
Koch said that it was a great first day back, and that his physical condition has improved.
"I am better than I was; I am not 100 percent," Koch said.
"I don't have full range of motion in my arm, and I have to get used to standing again," he added. "I'm tough, I can do it."
Despite the fact that he is not yet completely healed, Koch said that reopening his deli and seeing the faces of both old and new customers was wonderful therapy in itself.
"I didn't even feel pain one bit," he said. "It was great to see all of them."
"Everything was upbeat, I was getting a couple laughs for my jokes, so it was a good day," he added.
Larry Dickinson, a server at Koch's, said that he decided to come back and work again after a year off in order to help Koch with the reopening.
"I want to give him a hand with what he needs," he said.
Dickinson joked that he originally began working at Koch's because he did not want to wait on the deli's long lines any longer.
"I had to wait so long for a sandwich that I had to work here!" he said.
Koch decided to open yesterday because he typically closes the deli on Wednesdays, so yesterday, Thursday, was like the first day of the week.
"I chose this day to get that extra bit of physical therapy in, and also because of the Jewish holidays," he said.
To Koch, it seemed like hundreds of people came to the reopening of the deli throughout yesterday's reopening.
"We were completely sold out of everything," he said.
And many Penn students came to the reopening, according to Koch.
"A lot of Penn students, some Drexel students, and the neighborhood people" came by, he said.
"It was the mix that I liked," he added. "I was very happy to see all the Penn students."
"I'm just happy to see happy faces," Koch said. "And I want people to know I'm back. A lot of people know I'm back, but a lot of people don't know. Some people thought I was closed permanently."
Customers were thrilled that Koch's, which was founded over 35 years ago, was finally open for business again.
Durell Bouchard, a Penn graduate student in computer science, lives across the street from Koch's. He missed the deli while it was closed and was glad to see it reopen yesterday.
When asked why he likes the food at Koch's, Bouchard summed it up with two words -- "big meat."
Longtime regulars at Koch's were also present yesterday.
Bridget Keith, a 15-year resident of the area, said that she eats at Koch's quite often.
"Bob is a sweetheart," she said.
Native Philadelphians Kevin and Patricia Wallace said that they have been coming to Koch's for years.
"Koch's has been here since we moved into the neighborhood," Patricia Wallace said.
Her husband said that they keep coming to Koch's for many reasons.
It's because of "everything -- Bobby, the food... mostly Bobby though," he said.
Koch said that everyone can expect the same Koch's they have always been accustomed to.
"We have a good crew," he said. "There are no changes in the place. We're going to have the same great service and great food as always."
