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LCCC representatives participate in Ruth’s Place Walk

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<p>DALLAS &#8212; Home-cooked &#8220;grab-and-go&#8221; meals are the focus of Big Bellies Deli, which plans to open this month at 2925 Memorial Hwy.</p><p>Twenty-nine-year-old Kyle Emerick, of Wilkes-Barre, is the owner of the business, located at the former site of J&amp;J Deli. That restaurant moved just up the road to 3101 Memorial Hwy. earlier this year, but Emerick isn&#8217;t worried about the competition.</p><p>&#8220;We put out a good product,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Big Bellies Deli is Emerick&#8217;s first foray into the restaurant business, but he has some experienced help. His father-in-law, Mark Flaherty, owns A Touch of Class Catering and CrisNics in Wilkes-Barre. He&#8217;s also the former owner of Beer Bellies in Hanover Township, which inspired the name of the Dallas eatery.</p><p>&#8220;This has been something I&#8217;ve always wanted to do,&#8221; said Emerick, who formerly worked as a foreman at a local lumber company. &#8220;I come from a family of entrepreneurs. This is a long time coming for me.&#8221;</p><p>He said the new venture is a &#8220;clash between a restaurant and a deli,&#8221; with sandwiches and sides one would expect from a deli, but also many comfort food favorites like lasagna, piggies and pierogies for dinnertime.</p><p>The 1,300-square-foot dining area can seat 48 guests, but the hope is that more meals will be eaten outside the restaurant&#8217;s walls. Dinners will be sold in microwavable containers in coolers that line one wall of the deli.</p><p>&#8220;You can grab them and go, pop them in the microwave and have a home-cooked meal,&#8221; said Flaherty.</p><p>Emerick&#8217;s father and owner of Painting Professionals of NEPA, Dave Emerick, who was busy applying wallpaper in the renovated business on a recent Thursday, thinks the concept is a great idea.</p><p>&#8220;Think of all the college kids who won&#8217;t have to cook,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Flaherty said the business will also have meals to feed a crowd, such as meatballs, sausage and peppers, and shrimp trays, ready to go as well.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all about convenience,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Kyle Emerick said the business will also focus on the schools in the area by having Dallas, Lake-Lehman and Misericordia University-themed sandwiches. Customers with a student ID can get 10 percent off their meals any time.</p><p>&#8220;We want to be a home for (students),&#8221; he said.</p><p>He said the restaurant will not serve alcohol in keeping with that family-friendly theme.</p><p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t matter where you are, you should always rally around your community,&#8221; he said.</p><p>An exact opening date has not been set, but Emerick said the business should be open by the end of the month.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL121116BigBellies1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Rick Howell, employee of Painting Professionals of NEPA, installs vinyl wallpaper inside of Big Bellies Deli in Dallas. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL121116BigBellies1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rick Howell, employee of Painting Professionals of NEPA, installs vinyl wallpaper inside of Big Bellies Deli in Dallas. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL121116BigBellies2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kyle Emerick, owner of Big Bellies Deli, discusses his new business in Dallas. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL121116BigBellies2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kyle Emerick, owner of Big Bellies Deli, discusses his new business in Dallas. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Big Bellies Deli in Dallas expected to open this month</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sarah Hite Hando</p><p>shando@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Sarah Hite Hando at 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Big Bellies Deli, opening this month in Dallas, is all about convenience