Farmer in the Deli offers viral chopped sandwiches

It's been around since the 1950s, but Farmer in the Deli now has a new level of fame thanks to its viral chopped sandwiches that are all over TikTok.

"So the magic of sandwiches is the freshness, everything is fresh from the bread we get every day, the meat, we make so many sandwiches that when we open a piece of meat it only lasts for an hour or two so every time you order a sandwich it's going to be fresh," said Ali Muhsin, owner.

Muhsin said another key ingredient in their success, is the people in the community.

"This place has been around since the '50s, it was owned prior to my family by Italian immigrants. My dad, his brother, and a couple of partners they took over in the early '70s. The name was changed in the early '80s to Farmer in the Deli and we kept the same dynamic with the sandwiches," Muhsin said. "To this day our slogan is we don't make sandwiches we build them."

It all started with tuna.

"They started by making individual tunas for people who come just made to order," he said. "And then, like, well why not? And they started with the chicken and the turkey and it just went from there."

You can get your sandwich however you like it.

"You build it yourself. We offer all the ingredients in front of you and then you build your sandwich. You just use our expertise to help you build it," Muhsin said. "So a lot of people will pick different flavors of potato chips and just throw it in the mix. It's very good. It adds a little bit of a crunch and an extra flavor to the sandwich."

There's something for those who aren't afraid of a little kick.

"So my favorite chopped sandwich, is I like a little bit of spicy, so I'll take the Sausalito turkey with some tuna and I'll put some lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and some jalapenos for a little kick," he said. "And sometimes I'll add some Doritos, the spicy Doritos, and I think that's the perfect sandwich."

Traffic in the store has picked up, thanks to their viral videos.

"Since the viral videos and social media videos on TikTok and different platforms we have seen an uptick in traffic into the store, the lines have been longer, we've hired more people, so with that we're combatting the lines a little bit by adding more people back there," Muhsin said. "We welcome everyone to come but one thing we don't forget is our veterans, our neighborhood. They always have the largest piece of our heart."

Their customers even include some celebrity faces.

"The neighborhood itself is very dynamic. We have Spike Lee and Busta Rhymes that come here and buy their sandwiches. I've known them growing up. I grew up here. I feel like I'm a product of this neighborhood and everybody here it feels like family," he said.

Even though it may be different from a conventional sandwich, Muhsin said you won't regret trying it.

"So the chopped sandwich does look different and you might look at it and be like, 'Oh what is this?' But then you bite into it and that's where the magic happens," he said. "Come try it out. Take a bite from the beginning of the sandwich, I promise you a consistent bite, a consistent taste from beginning to end."