33 Years of Amer’s Delicatessen
From operating nine restaurants to one restaurant: owner Amer Bathish’s story
—By Lily Karson
Amer Bathish was 23 years old when he moved back to Michigan from Maui, Hawaii, to open the first Amer’s Delicatessen in 1987. He came home with $10,000 in his pocket, all from selling t-shirts on the beach. He had another $30,000 saved up from when he bought out every paper route in his neighborhood at twelve years old. Bathish has always been a businessman, but he never knew he would open a restaurant. He was an electrical engineer specializing in robotics when he graduated from the University of Michigan.
Over 33 years, Bathish grew that first restaurant into nine different locations in Michigan. At the peak of his businesses, Bathish had over 250 employees. Now, he has just one restaurant, right in the heart of Ann Arbor on State Street. When his restaurants kept closing, he persevered because of “the community,” he says. “The loyalty of the customers is the same. I love when parents and alumni come back and know me. It makes me feel like I am doing something good for Ann Arbor.” He will continue to build Amer’s Delicatessen’s legacy and has hope for the future.
Young Amer Bathish
Bathish was only six years old when his family immigrated from Israel to Michigan. He, his four sisters, and his parents left Israel to live with his grandparents in a 1,200 square foot home. In first grade, he could only speak Hebrew and Arabic, making this a tough adjustment. To pass the time, he took over the newspaper route in his neighborhood. Two years later, he bought out all of the newspaper routes in town, serving over one hundred and fifty customers daily. Bathish was an intelligent young man, conducting business at just 12 years old. By the end of middle school and high school, he had $30,000 saved up.
Bathish’s path to the restaurant business was not easy. He started as a freshman at the University of Michigan in 1983 majoring in microengineering with a specific focus in robotics. Every summer, he worked for General Motors, pleasing his parents and making them proud. Bathish assumed he would work at General Motors full time upon graduation, working in engineering his whole life.
Then, in 1986, General Motors Corporation announced that it would close 11 plants in the United States, firing over 29,000 people in order to cut costs. Bathish’s full-time job offer at General Motors in Flint, Michigan was no longer possible.
“It was awful,” he said. “I had no job but I had some money saved up. I decided to travel to California.”
In California, Bathish discovered the “coffee craze” as espresso and cappuccinos spread throughout the coffee shops opening all over. After traveling around California, Bathish moved to Maui, Hawaii in 1987. There, while walking down the beach, he discovered a sandwich shop that piqued his interest. He thought to himself, “Wow, this type of shop is nowhere in Michigan. Who wants a pre-packaged frozen sandwich or microwavable egg from Starbucks? This is the kind of place that we need.”
The pushback
So, Bathish moved back to Michigan. He told his parents he wanted to open a sandwich shop with real products—“kosher corned beef, pastrami, smoked salmon, and all the fixings.” His parents thought he was crazy, his mother scolding, “You’re an electrical engineer with a love for robotics” and his father urging him, “Try interviewing for a job on campus first.”
Bathish listened to his parents for a little while, but “there were no jobs available.… Why can’t I try opening up my own place?” He took his $40,000 in savings and opened the first Amer’s Delicatessen in downtown Flint, Michigan in 1987. Despite his family’s disapproval, Bathish made a choice. He worked out deals with the plumbers, construction workers, and delivery men, recounting, “If the plumber said he wanted ten grand, I said I’ll give you eleven grand but I need an extra year to pay you.” The Michigan community trusted him early on, and Bathish has never taken this trust for granted.
The timeline and the hardships
After Bathish opened the first Amer’s Delicatessen in downtown Flint, he opened the second one on Church Street in 1990, the third on State Street in 1992, the fourth in the Michigan Union in 1994, and the fifth in Birmingham, Michigan, in 2014. During the twenty-year gap between 1994 and 2014, Bathish also opened two coffee shops called Cava Java, one on South University Ave and the other in the Michigan Union. He also opened a video game cassette store called “Campus Video.” Bathish had many passions and hobbies and was immersed in University of Michigan student life.
Bathish has been through enough grief, but “he will never let this last shop go.” In 2013, after nineteen years, UM decided to close the Union location and terminate Bathish’s lease. In 2015, Bathish had halved the square footage of the Amer’s on State Street because he could not keep up with the $19,000 rent. The landlord allowed him to keep Amer’s open as long as he cut the space in half, built a wall, and paid half of the lease. In 2016, Ann Arbor gained the Amer’s on State Street it has today. In 2020, due to Covid-19, Bathish closed one of the final two remaining locations on Church Street, when sales decreased from $3,000 per day to $84 per day. Campaigns and fundraisers frequently emerge in attempts to keep Amer’s on campus, showing how deeply Ann Arbor residents and students care. In an article from the Michigan Daily in 2013, Bathish stated, “I move with whatever the students want. My whole focus is only on the students.” His devoted customers help him through hard times by continuing to support and stand by him.
The legacy of Amer’s Delicatessen
Amer’s Delicatessen has a menu so extensive that you would probably have to be a regular to know what to order. While it is a deli serving bagels and schmear, corned beef reubens on rye, and matzoh ball noodle soup, Amer’s also serves the classic chicken tenders and fries, Ray’s Red Hot hot dogs, and customizable salads and wraps. And don’t forget about the classic frozen yogurt bar and special deep purple acai bowls topped with gooey peanut butter and homemade crunchy granola.
Bathish does not currently have plans to open another location and feels pride in his current customers, families, and returning alumni. He simply cannot open another restaurant because he cannot get anyone to apply for full time jobs; “In all [his] years, it has never been this hard to hire young adults.”
He works almost every day from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., remembering customers’ names and faces and building a sense of community across the restaurant. Many University of Michigan students feel a connection to Amer’s Delicatessen and have regular orders. Jessi, a senior who has been a stable customer since freshman year said, “I love that I can customize anything. The employees are always so friendly and helpful and want to see me leave happy.”
With Bathish’s hard work, determination, and love for the Ann Arbor community, he has made an impact on many generations of students at the University of Michigan. Amer’s Delicatessen is a must-visit with the highest quality, mouth-watering food, but most importantly, the opportunity to meet and speak with legend Amer Bathish himself.
Bathish hopes that Amer’s Delicatessen on State Street is a long-lasting location. He doesn’t know what will happen, but for now, he trusts that his community will always come back. He says, “Students come back as alumni to visit their children, and we have many valued and special customers. I’ve just got to hold on.”
Feature photo, Amer’s Delicatessen on State Street; photo credit, Lily Karson