After 40 years, Jack\u2019s Deli and Restaurant in University Heights abruptly closed its doors on May 17.<\/p>\n
A sign in the window with its hours of operation showed Sunday hours as 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant was typically closed Mondays and Tuesdays.<\/p>\n
A sign on the front door read:<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 40 years, the location that has housed Jack\u2019s Deli needs a long overdue refresh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the timing came completely unexpected and emergent due to repairs that are urgently needed in space, we believe the best way to honor the future of this legendary location is to reinvest and prepare it for its next chapter of hospitality.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to sincerely thank everyone for all support following this sudden and unexpected pause in operations. Your memories, stories, and loyalty have meant more to us than you know and will hopefully be un-paused soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the next 4-6 months, we will be hard at work refreshing the space and reimagining the experience, and we look forward to welcoming you back when the doors reopen.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo our employees: you are family to us. We are actively reaching out to friends and partners throughout the industry to help connect our team members with opportunities as quickly as possible during this transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you again for 40 amazing years. We\u2019ll see you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The restaurant at 14490 Cedar Road has undergone multiple owners in the last one-and-a-half years. Cleveland Restaurant Management Group purchased the restaurant<\/a> from owners Alvie Markowitz and Gary Lebowitz in early 2025 and sold it to another group in January 2026.<\/a><\/p>\n Jack\u2019s Deli was founded in 1980 by Jack Markowitz and his two sons, Alvie and Harry. The deli originally occupied the space at 2175 S. Green Road in the Cedar Green shopping plaza and then moved around the corner to its current location within the same shopping center.<\/p>\n Jack Markowitz grew up in then-Czechoslovakia, according to the Jack\u2019s Deli website. Czechoslovakia dissolved at the end of 1992 and became two states \u2013 the Czech Republic and Slovakia.<\/p>\n In his childhood, Jack Markowitz learned about and experienced traditional deli foods, and, in opening Jack\u2019s Deli, he aimed to share these experiences with the community, the website said. A Holocaust survivor, Markowitz spent four years at a displaced persons camp following his liberation from Auschwitz before coming to Cleveland, according to previous CJN reports<\/a>. He was a founder of Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood who died in August 2002 at age 77.<\/p>\n