Building A Sandwich Business from the Ground Up

For Mibby’s Deli owner Matt Byrne, opening a deli didn’t follow years spent in professional kitchens. Instead, it grew out of curiosity, experimentation and a deep appreciation for food.

“I think when, like most 20-year-olds were getting after it at the bar, I was having relationships with butchers,” Byrne laughed.

Making friends with local butchers, experimenting at home and focusing on technique over formal training became the foundation for Mibby’s. But translating that into a full-fledged restaurant has come with a steep learning curve.
“I definitely don’t have the full back-of-house experience,” Byrne said.

What he does have is an appreciation for the hard work that goes into making simple foods taste great. Byrne explained that his native Michigan has a strong deli culture, with each of them making their mark with signature sandwiches and sides that set them apart from one another.

Byrne and his fiancée, Lauren Ware, worked for a California-based corporation prior to being laid off during the pandemic. The layoffs prompted them to move to their respective hometowns for a while before deciding to reunite in Wilmington in 2022.

Sensing that Byrne was burnt out from his corporate marketing job, Ware encouraged him to follow his dream of opening a deli. And despite feeling fully prepared, he leaned into the uncertainty.

“I think you can very easily talk yourself out of stuff. But if you just do it, then you learn how to do it, and oftentimes you learn how to do it well,” Byrne said.

That philosophy carried him from early pop-ups at the End of Days Concept Kitchen, into a permanent concept for that space, at 1815 Castle St., where the realities of running a food business quickly set in.

Byrne cures, smokes, and prepares all his meats in-house, including pepper-smoked turkey and corned beef and pastrami made from whole briskets.

“I break down all the briskets, using the flat (cut) for corned beef and using the point (cut) for pastrami,” Byrne said. “Each involves a 10-day cure.”

That commitment makes scaling difficult and limits flexibility and overall production, but to Byrne, it’s what defines the product.

“I would rather have it done right than have a bountiful bad product,” Byrne said.

While rooted in classic deli traditions, Mibby’s menu isn’t trying to replicate anything exactly. Instead, Byrne blends influences from his hometown delis in Michigan to Middle Eastern flavors and Southern classics into something personal.

The menu centers around staples such as Reubens, pastrami and smoked turkey sandwiches with small details that set them apart. A house-made “rushback” sauce blends elements of Russian dressing and Comeback sauce. A garlic-forward potato salad replaces traditional mayo-heavy versions with a Lebanese-inspired garlic toum. Mibby’s slaw pays homage to Carolina barbecue with a tangy vinegar, mustard and red pepper base.

For Byrne, every ingredient choice reflects a commitment to quality.

“I only use Jarlsberg,” Byrne said. “I don’t care if it’s like three times more a pound.”

That attention to detail extends across the board, from homemade pickles to sourcing bread locally from Apple Annie’s Bake Shop, all with the final product in mind. It’s a place shaped by experimentation, persistence and a willingness to improve daily.

Still in the early stages of the business, Byrne relies heavily on direct feedback from customers. That hands-on, personal approach has helped build early momentum, even as the business is still evolving. While he wants to continue building up his offerings, menu development requires balancing creativity with practicality, especially when working with seasonal ingredients and lengthy preparation methods.

Byrne said several customers have asked him if he plans to serve a beef on weck, a sandwich that earned a huge loyal following at South College Sandwich & Deli, which closed in 2020 after 21 years in business.

“I’m a people pleaser, and I like to think I have a little something for everyone, but I’m not going to be making a beef on weck,” Byrne laughed.

Mibby’s is currently open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and might begin extending service to 9 p.m. over the summer. One of the items he’s hoping to add to the summer menu is a BLT with homemade peppered bacon.

“I feel like we’re just hitting our stride, Byrne said, “and I think my biggest compliment is when people come back.”