Longtime Lenny’s Deli Owner Sells Popular Owings Mills Neighborhood Eatery

July 19, 2024 Alan Feiler, Editor-in-Chief

Alan Smith describes his father, Lenny, as “a wonderful father and grandfather, but most importantly, he was a wonderful man.” (Photo courtesy of the Smith family)

Alan Smith (left) and his late father, Leonard Smith, co-founded Lenny's Deli in Owings Mills in 1985. (Photo courtesy of the Smith family)

After nearly four decades of satisfying the appetites of noshers in Owings Mills and beyond, Alan Smith, co-founder and owner of Lenny’s Deli at 9107 Reisterstown Road in the Valley Village Shopping Center, recently sold his popular neighborhood eatery.

The new owners are Lenny’s Deli LLC, a family consortium of food service entrepreneurs based in Harford County. The sales transaction was settled on May 16, and in the interim Smith will serve as a consultant and advisor to the business. (Representatives of Lenny’s Deli LLC did not return phone calls to Jmore.)

“It was time for me,” Smith said about his retirement. “I wanted to wait until I turned 65. I was ready to go. I’m tired. I’ve been doing this kind of work since I was 16 and worked at Bonnie View Country Club. Also, my staff is getting older and they’re probably going to retire in the near future. I didn’t want to be around for that.

“The funny thing is we’ve never been busier than we are now,” he said. “You want to sell when things are really good.”

Smith started the business in 1985 with his late father, Leonard “Lenny” Smith. At one point, Lenny’s also had locations on Lombard Street’s “Corned Beef Row,” in the former site of Jack’s Corned Beef, and in the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore.

With its casual atmosphere, friendly longtime employees and inch-thick corned beef sandwiches, Lenny’s has developed a strong following over the years.

Smith said he plans to primarily spend the next six months “decompressing,” playing golf and deciding on his next chapter in life.

When asked if he will miss running the deli on a day-to-day basis, he said, “I think I still need more time away before any emotions kick in. My kids are sad about it. Right now, my only emotion is elation. I could’ve done it longer, but it’s not an easy job. It’s a grueling business. When I look back, I remember a lot of 100-hour work weeks. … But I’m very proud of what my father and I built. We really worked hard, especially at the start. If you run it right, you’ll keep busy. We still have lines out the door.”

Smith said he is deeply grateful to his customers at Lenny’s. “My family and I want to thank everyone who came in over the last 39 years,” he said. “We couldn’t have made it without them. As a Jewish entrepreneur, I’m proud that we had a family business, especially in these times.”

Smith encouraged his diners to continue patronizing Lenny’s and support the new ownership. “Everyone should go there and try them. I don’t think they’ll see much difference at all,” he said. “I hope the community will support them as much they supported us over the years.”

In other local delicatessen news, Baltimore’s Attman’s Deli announced this week that Chicago-based Levy Restaurants has decided that the local iconic eatery will no longer operate as a vendor at M&T Bank Stadium. Levy Restaurants oversees food service operations at Ravens stadium, as well as at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the Baltimore Convention Center.

“I was a mainstay,” Dr. Marc Attman, owner of the 114-year-old, family-operated deli based in “Corned Beef Row,” told the Baltimore Banner. “It’s horrible, I’m really upset. … Big business America, that’s what it is. Multibillion-dollar company, little guy like me, that’s the way it goes.”