 "Photo: Katie Speace")
 "Photo: Katie Speace")
Students now have something else to look forward to when returning to campus for Spring Semester: a new place to get grub. Claymont Steak Shop recently opened its second location at 57 Elkton Rd. in Amstel Square.
The shop opened Dec. 30, and owner Demi Kollias said business has been booming ever since.
“Business is even better than we expected it to be, although the students aren’t all here yet,” Kollias said. “The regular customers have been very loyal over the years, so we’ve had a great start and there’s a lot of excitement in the air.”
She said a lot of her regular customers are happy they don’t have to drive to the original location in Claymont anymore.
“Now they can come more often and have a good sandwich, so we’re very happy that we came to Newark,” Kollias said.
Senior Jim Bass and Junior Alex Blau are taking classes over Winter Session and tried Claymont Steak Shop for the first time.
“I saw them building it for a while, and I knew I was going to be here so I thought I’d try it out,” Blau said.
The Newark location appears to have a more narrow seating area than the original shop in Claymont, Kollias said, but the new store sits the same amount of customers. The interior of the building is decorated in warm tones with a mural of the university football team covering the back wall.
“It’s fancier than I expected, but it’s definitely affordable,” Bass said. “It has a great atmosphere, and it’s a good break from the kind of grimy, dirty, run-of-the-mill college joint.”
Blau said his soda and two slices of pizza for $4 was a great deal. He said although he already frequents the area, he thinks the steak shop will attract students to the west side of campus.
“I really like the menu,” Blau said. “It makes me a little less sad that Daffy Deli closed.”
Claymont Steak Shop offers a wide variety from steaks, subs, wings, and pizza to salads and homemade soups.
“We’re very well-known for our cheese steaks and subs,” Kollias said, “but our soups are homemade and our salads are made to order, they’re not prepared the day before or the same morning. Everything is fresh.”
She said it’s encouraging to her that most customers order a cheese steak on their first visit but come back the next day to try something else on the menu.
Senior Kyle Hogan said he was impressed with the shop as well as the Claymont Cheese Steak he ordered on his first visit.
“Everything is so fresh, and the service is great. The manager came around and asked how our food was,” Hogan said. “The only thing missing from the experience was a nice, cold beer.”
Lucky for Hogan, Kollias said the steak shop has a pending license to serve beer and wine, which should be put into effect soon
Emily Stuller, 19, is excited to be an employee of Claymont Steak Shop’s new location.
“Everybody knows Claymont Steak Shop, if you’re from Delaware, or even further,” Stuller said. “There are people from Virginia that come in and get their steaks specially wrapped in travel boxes for their drive back.”
For Newark residents and students, she said the steak shop is a good alternative to Main Street eateries.
“For students, it’s right on campus and it’s a really easy location,” Stuller said. “There are a lot of parking spaces in the back, rather than if you eat somewhere on Main Street you have to worry about the meters running out and all of that. It’s just very convenient.”
She said the shop has been very busy ever since word got out that it was open.
“I expect it to be even busier when all the students get back as soon as the spring session starts,” Stuller said.
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4 comments
Don't know about their other menu items.
Wrong style of rolls.
Too much gristle on "rib eye steak that we slice ourselves".
Ketchup, onions, & meat not balanced.