 "Photo: Ayelet Daniel")
Demi Kollias says Newark residents are willing drive 30 minutes for a good cheesesteak — but now they don’t have to.
Kollias, the owner of Claymont Steak Shop’s original location in Claymont, Del., has good news for Newark residents. The business is opening a new location in Amstel Square on the corner of Amstel Avenue and Elkton Road.
The expansion of Amstel Square signals a new beginning for businesses near West Campus on Elkton Road, and students won’t have to venture to Main Street to grab a bite to eat or rent an apartment, Kollias said.
The shop has experienced enormous success since its opening in 1966. She said she sees customers from all over Delaware, some that drive quite far to have a sandwich.
“With our new location in Newark,” Kollias said, “people won’t have to drive that far to just the one shop in Claymont.”
Kollias said the Newark shop is set to open shortly after Thanksgiving.
She said Amstel Square is the right location for Claymont Steak Shop because it is on a road that is near the heart of campus but also in an area that will attract non-student locals. She said that the shop is almost complete. There are a few last-minute things to do, including hiring employees.
“We will absolutely hire students,” she said. “While the shop is self-service and there is no need for dishwashers since everything is disposable, we do need people behind the counter as well as delivery drivers.”
She said the Claymont Steak Shop will give resients near West Campus more convenient eating options.
“With our location, people don’t have to go down to the end of Main Street,” Kollias said.
Saxby’s Coffee was one of the first businesses to open in the retail space of Amstel Square. Manager Catherine Ford said it has already begun to bring more people to the area since it opened July 13.
Ford said food businesses, like coffee shops, give people more options besides the dining halls for food.
“Our customer base is mostly students, a good bit of faculty and a lot of community members on the weekends,” Ford said. “Some of the students that live in the apartments above Saxby’s also work for us.”
Ford said Saxby’s picked Amstel Square for its location because the corner experiences a lot of foot traffic and is usually very busy.
“This side of town was lacking a place for coffee and a quick bite,” she said.
Further down Elkton Road, businesses like Buffalo Wild Wings and the Victorian Tea House have opened this year, and with Daffy Deli now closed, that retail space is available as well.
Councilman Stu Markham said Amstel Square and other Elkton Road businesses are part of an expansion of Main Street and renovation of Elkton Road on which the Downtown Newark Partnership is working.
“The Elkton Road area has gone downhill in the past few years,” Markham said. “DelDOT is redoing the actual pavement and sidewalks of Elkton Road, and the state is paying to revamp the entire area.”
The Downtown Newark Partnership’s goal is “the ongoing enhancement of Main Street,” as stated on its Web site. Markham said the partnership sponsors events like A Taste of Newark and Wine & Dine Downtown. It has also received grants to fix-up Main Street storefronts and paint the welcome mural on the train bridge.
Markham said the extension of Main Street around the corner onto Elkton Road will welcome the Downtown Newark Partnership’s influence to that area as well.
“Investing in Newark and building new apartments and businesses increases the property tax, and that end of Elkton Road is like another entrance into the city, and we want it to look nice,” he said.
Markham also said the addition of Claymont Steak Shop will be a positive addition to the area.
“Claymont Steak Shop has a fine reputation, and I’ve heard that celebrities have come into the store to get a good steak sandwich,” he said.
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
