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Montreal’s famed Schwartz’s deli sandwiches coming to grocery stores

There were some fans of Montreal's famed and fabled Schwartz's smoked meat shop that cringed when the nondescript gem was purchased by a conglomerate led by Celine Dion and her husband.

Some who feared the corporatization of the small-business success story was inevitable, that the mouth-watering offerings could not survive in its current state under new ownership.

Well, so far Schwartz's deli has not been franchised or churned into a cross-country chain.

But it is now available at grocery stores across the province.

The Globe and Mail reports that the landmark delicatessen is set to release vacuum-sealed versions of its sandwiches for sale in Sobeys grocery stores across Quebec.

The stores new owners say the premade product will have the same taste and texture as the store-made ones. The ones that have people lining up for hours (I've seen it) to get brisket and a pickle.

“It’s for people who can’t come to the restaurant,” Schwartz's assistant manager Joao Goncalves told the newspaper. “I don’t think it will hurt the brand. It will be positive.”

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Try as they might, the move will not satisfy all of the deli's many purist fans.

The 80-year-old restaurant has always avoided opening other locations or changing their recipe, leaning on history and tradition to stay above their many competitors.

As its website reads:

We've protected our tradition for over 80 years by maintaining the standards of old.... Schwartz's prepares smoked meat the old-fashioned way using a secret blend of fine herbs and spices marinated for 10 days.

One wonders how they can promise the same level of excellence with sandwiches shipped to grocery stores across the province and sold for $10.99 a pop. After all, when was the last time someone rushed to the store to pick up a package of Swiss Chalet sauce?

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And even if the quality stands up, this can't help but dull the brand. A press release says they are expanding to grocery stores because of great demand from out-of-town guests and celebrities who travel to visit their single location.

But that is what made Schwartz's great. Who is going to go out of their way to visit the landmark when they can get the same thing at an IGA down the street?

When was the last time anyone said, "While we are in California, we just have to stop at A&W and grab a root beer?" Probably not since the once-unique restaurant pumped its once-unique soda into every store in North America.

Why can’t things stay simple? Why can’t Schwartz’s be happy as a cultural cornerstone, a mecca for meat lovers and the singular destination every food-consuming visitor to Montreal is told to visit?