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Here's to a Healthy Planet!®

Sourcing the finest local ingredients, our food is made with care and character.
Sourcing local ingredients grown with character
When we say that the food at Erik's DeliCafé is made with care and character, we mean from start to finish. Every bit of your Sandwich with Character®, soup, or salad is a community effort. To us, that's the coolest part of what we do. We put love into preparing your meals. Our friends put love into nurturing seeds into sprouts and delicious produce. Other friends put love into preparing flavorful sandwich meats. Our other, other friends make magical and sweet Sweet Treats. You get the picture.
Sprouting goodness every step of the way
From beginning to end
We're proud to source our ingredients from so many top-notch farmers and producers. We could talk about them all day. Like our pals at Wo Chong who grow all our sprouts. The bread you can’t get enough of? That’s baked daily out of Sunnyvale and delivered seven days a week to our DeliCafés. Most of our lettuce is grown out of farms in Watsonville and Salinas. Our ham is straight from our friends at Smithfield. Our chicken and turkey are from our friends at Foster Farms. (You would love these guys.)
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Our Partners

We are proud to source our ingredients from so many incredible farms and partners. They never compromise on quality or character. Learn more about who we work with.

The story behind our food, why it has character…

In 1973 Erik Johnson used a little over $400 to transform a 600 square foot delicatessen and bakery in Scotts Valley into the first Erik’s DeliCafé. Lacking experience in the restaurant industry, Johnson quickly enlisted the help of his family. Ray Johnson, Erik’s Father, created homemade soups, his mother, Dolores, made deli salads and baked goods while his brother, Chris, an attorney, handled the lease negotiations. Judy, Johnson’s wife-to-be, worked behind the counter and helped with personnel, hiring, training and catering. Even Johnson’s brother-in-law, Rick, chipped in with his carpentry skills. In the following year the neighboring TV store closed and Johnson was able to expand Erik’s Deli to 1800 square feet. 

A lot has changed since then, but one thing that will never change is our commitment to character. At all of our 27 Erik’s DeliCafé locations, you can count on our Sandwiches with Character®, salad, and soup you enjoy are made with the highest quality meats, cheeses, and fresh produce we can find. Our soups are our cherished family recipes and slow-simmered. Our salads are fresh and just as full of flavor as they are nutritive value. And all of them are served up with the passion and pizzaz that you’ve come to know us for. To us, that’s what having character is all about.

Team Member creating a salad