But the weeks of the shutdown became months. Even as businesses reopened, multitudes still work from home.

“That can’t pay our rent, insurance, our payroll,” says Dan Raskin. “We can’t go on like that.”

When a family business is forced to close, people lose their livelihoods, families lose support, and a city loses revenue and vitality. A landmark like Manny’s is also a link to history. You can point to where Barack Obama talked politics over pastrami, Oprah had apple sauce on her latkes, and where your grandfather went when he got tired of dieting.

On Tuesday, Dan Raskin posted a short tweet: “We are struggling. This isn’t a joke. Support your fav deli for dinner tonight. Thx”

People did.

For the rest of this week, the socially-distanced line to get into Manny’s has sometimes stretched around the block.

“I’m lost for words,” Dan Raskin told us. “One or two busy days won’t be enough to keep us going. But it’s enough to make us want to keep going.”

Pages: 1 2