Jon Rossler says he has bet his financial future on corned beef. On a truck selling corned beef (and pastrami), no less.
He’s not yet reaching his sale target—he figures he has to sell between 70 and 80 sandwiches a day to “earn a nice living.” But his Corned Beef King mobile eatery, which recently started rolling in Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring, is serving up some of the area’s best deli sandwiches.
“It’s a maykhl, that truck!” said my 83-year-old corned beef queen mother, using one of several Yiddish words for “delicious,” after tasting Rossler’s Reuben and Manhattan (hot pastrami, melted provolone, cole slaw and Russian dressing on rye).
Indeed, both sandwiches were terrific—top-notch, slow-roasted meats piled high on thick, sturdy rye (from Lyon Bakery). Mixing the lean first cut with the fattier deckle cut, Rossler’s corned beef is flavorful without being too fatty, and his pastrami is smoky and not-too-salty. The sandwiches are huge, but half portions are available, and are a good option. Not such a maykhl: the meat knish, which on the day I tried it was a rectangle of mushy dough filled with an unappetizing collection of meat scraps and potatoes.
Rossler is no neophyte to the deli world. His family owned the former Celebrity Dellys in Rockville and Cabin John, and his sister currently runs the Celebrity Delly in Falls Church. His father Chuck Rossler, who started it all in 1975, has since retired, and Jon recently left as general manager of the Falls Church location.
Rossler says he was inspired to get into the food truck business after watching a television show about the trend. “I knew I could do this better than most,” he said. So he bought a truck that had been selling hot dogs and hamburgers in Montgomery County (it’s three feet too long to be licensed in the District), went through the laborious permit process, and had it painted (note to Rossler: some brighter colors and jazzier graphics would make it stand out more on the street).
Rossler says “Bethesda is definitely our market,” and on Tuesday this week on Bethesda Avenue, he sold 42 sandwiches. Not quite his target, but it’s getting there. Plus, Rossler hopes to pick up any slack with a catering business as well. And starting this Saturday, he’ll be selling breakfast and sandwiches at Germantown’s SoccerPlex on weekends.
At this point, Corned Beef King’s schedule is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays at the corner of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, Tuesdays on Bethesda Avenue near the corner of Woodmont in Bethesda, Wednesdays at Woodmont and Norfolk Avenues in Bethesda and Thursdays at 5601 Fishers Lane in Rockville. On Fridays, another location in Bethesda is still to be determined.
For more information, check out www.cornedbeefking.com or call 571-305-2333.
