The owner of TallBoys on North Fourth Avenue is cooking up a new restaurant concept in the old home of U.S. Fries down the street.
On May 1, Ben Schneider along with his friends and business partners, Parker Arriaga, Frank Bair, Gabe Rozzell and Simone Stopford, plan to launch Cans at 340 N. Fourth Ave.; 6,000 square feet of space that will house a Jewish-style deli, a bar area and a concert venue all in one spot.
For Schneider, the goal, food-wise was to have something in the same vein of the famed Katz's Delicatessen in New York City or like the delis in Cleveland where his mom, La Cocina owner Jo Schneider, is from.
The restaurant will serve meaty sandwiches (pastrami, corned beef, turkey), salads, latkes, some Middle Eastern fare and soups, including Cans’ own take on traditional matzo ball soup.
“I’ve always loved the Jewish deli idea,” Ben said. “The deli food I grew up on is another version of comfort food. I think making people feel comfortable is my main thing.”
It was equally important to have that musical element.
Schneider is a long-time musician who helped get the annual Night of the Living Fest music festival off of the ground in Tucson.
He said the venue will focus on mid-range acts that are “fun to deal with and willing to work with us.”
“We are all musicians and artists,” Schneider said. “The relationship between music and food is really important. We want to cultivate that.”
