Jay Tortorice
Family, friends and community leaders got a chance to see the remodel and new logo for Jason’s Deli at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 4 at the Dowlen Road location.
Jason’s Deli President Jay Tortorice said the company has opened more than 200 locations in 29 states.
“There’s one person not here and he is responsible for all of this,” said Tortorice. “If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be here today. That’s my dad, Joe. My dad touched so many lives in his daily work within the company and within the community, and even around the country interacting with people.”
Jason’s Deli was founded in November 1976 by Joe Tortorice Jr. and his partners Rusty Coco, Pete Verde and Pat Broussard. The original Jason’s Deli location is still in operation at its original location in the Gateway Shopping Center. Tortorice died in 2019 at age 70.
Jay Tortorice noted that the new logo was created from a font that didn’t exist.
“We felt like it was time to improve our image,” he said. “This has been a couple of years in the making. But then the question became, ‘Where do we do this?’ Where do we roll out this image?’ Unanimously, our board decided Beaumont was the right place to do it. Nobody knows Jason’s Deli more than the residents of Beaumont and so we wanted to get your feedback.”
In partnership with the agency, ChangeUp, Jason’s Deli updated its environment and brand to “more accurately reflect the exceptional quality of its food and service.”
The modern layout introduces a host of new features, including the addition of digital kiosks and diversified its dining areas to better serve customers with greater convenience and flexibility.
The salad bar, their most popular offering, takes center stage and has been reimagined with a more efficient one-sided line, empowering customers to craft their own salads with ease.
“Jason’s Deli is incredibly energized by this investment in our brand and experience,” said Blake Parker, chief innovation officer at Jason’s Deli. “By giving it the same attention that we’ve always given both our food and service, we know we’re creating an even better journey for our customers, and creating more avenues for new people to connect with us.”
Tortorice thanked Beaumont residents for helping Jason’s Deli in the store’s early years and noted many of the company’s officers and supporting staff are from the Golden Triangle.
“We have a new decor and a new logo,” pointed out Tortorice. “We wanted to access the customer in multiple touchpoints, whether it be our website or our uniforms that our employees wear. All across multiple touchpoints, we want to put forth a new image for Jason’s Deli.”
Jay Wilson, Director of Membership & Retention for the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber and Jason’s Deli family have had a relationship not measured in years, but measured in decades.
“They have been a part of our Chamber since the inception, in the 10 years that I’ve been involved in the Chamber, the name Jason’s Deli was synonymous,” Wilson stated. “They helped feed our staff and they have helped us with meetings with other businesses. I want to say thanks to Jason’s Deli, the staff, the family, for everything that they’ve done.”
New Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Amy Lovoi said she was happy to spend her second day on the job with the Tortorices.
“I have very fond memories of Joe, Shelley, Ashley and the kids,” she said. “They were my neighbors, spending nights together and ... eating together here. We’ve done lots and lots of exciting things.”
Lovoi recalled, during her three interviews for her new position, she mentioned Joe Tortorice each time.
“During my presentations at the Chamber and my interviews, I mentioned a few things about Joe,” said Lovoi. “One is that he told me to live large, to learn, be a life-long learner and to earn into returns. He said that the return part is the most important. Return to your community, give back to your community, be with your family, love your friends and, most importantly, don’t forget Beaumont. I will never forget those words that he told me.”
Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, retired, of the Diocese of Beaumont, said the restaurant is “a very bright spot in our community.”
“A restaurant, a home, or any place of fellowship, people come. They come from the community, they come to fellowship, they come to laugh, to cry, as well as, of course, nourishing the body to do the physical works of the law,” said Guillory.
After the bishop prayed, Shelly Tortorice joined him as he walked around the restaurant, blessing the site with sprinkles of “holy water.”
“Holy water is a sign of cleansing, a sign of not only the body but especially in the spirit. And so we’re asking God to keep this place safe, and that it would always be a place of enjoyment and nourishment.”
Also that day, Jason’s Deli donated 20% of all dine-in sales at their Dowlen Road location to the nonprofit, Gift of Life.
— Dannie Oliveaux
