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After over a decade in Glendale, Queens, Zum Stammtisch will officially close its pork store on March 1, as first reported by QNS.
Before you completely despair: the news only concerns the German destination's pork shop and not the attached restaurant, which isn't going anywhere.
The story of Zum Stammtisch, akin to local legend, kicks off in November of 1972, when John Lehner first opened the restaurant, which quickly became a meet-up spot among German and European transplants.
Originally from Bavaria, Lehner moved to the United States in 1950, served in the army for two years and then settled in New York, where he met his wife Erna and welcomed two sons, Werner and Hans.
Lehner founded the eatery with partners but he was able to buy them out within the first ten years of business. In 1988, he expanded his culinary proposition by purchasing the building nextdoor and turning it into a party room. He passed away in 1993, at which point Hans and Werner took over.
As part of their expansion efforts, the brothers opened the now-beloved pork store 13 years ago, selling cuts of meat, German ready-to-eat foods and the sorts of imported pantry staples that the local Bavarian community has come to rely on given how scarce they are across the city's more "traditional" supermarkets.
Why is Zum Stammtisch closing its pork store?
U.S. store closures hit a high point in 2024 and are expected to exceed openings again this year, so this particular development isn't too shocking. That being said, the popularity of Zum Stammtisch's pork store begs the question: why have the owners decided to shut down?
Although the business has not put out an official statement, Werner mentioned financial issues in an interview with the Queens Chronicle.
"Many of the customers that used to come in back in the day just aren’t around anymore or have moved away," he said. "We had a great run. The customers were really fantastic."
According to the outlet, Werner also suggested that larger German supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl now offer products similar to the ones sold at Zumm Stammtisch, but at a lower price.
As they say: another one bites the dust.