The landscape of New York City's culinary history is set to lose another of its storied components, with the imminent closure of Zum Stammtisch's Pork Store in Glendale, Queens. Known for dishing out traditional German and Bavarian fare, Zum Stammtisch has been a fixture since 1972, yet will be shuttering its pork store operations on March 1, as reported by the New York Post. The brother duo of Hans and Werner Lehner, who have been at the restaurant’s helm since 1993, cited a confluence of rising costs, a declining customer base, and pandemic aftermath as reasons behind the decision. Hans Lehner, in a statement obtained by the New York Post, expressed disappointment at the closure but explained, "Costs have been going up and up. … It’s hard to pass these prices on to customers."
While the restaurant itself will remain open, its adjacent pork store, opened in 2010 following the closure of legendary neighborhood butcher Karl Ehmer, was more than just a butcher shop. It was a purveyor of nostalgia that served the community with German staples not commonly found in regular chain supermarkets. The Eater confirmed that despite the pork store's closure, the restaurant continues to offer its menu full of German delicacies.
The demise of Zum Stammtisch Pork Store mirrors a broader trend in New York, where traditional pork stores and family-owned butcher shops are increasingly rare. In recent years, the city has witnessed the closure of establishments like Morscher’s Pork Store in Ridgewood and G. Esposito & Sons in Carroll Gardens. Hans Lehner revealed to the New York Post that customer turnout has significantly faltered post-pandemic, which was echoed in Eater's report noting a general decline in the influence of German immigrant establishments in the area.
Despite the changing demographics and economic pressures, Zum Stammtisch has maintained a loyal pool of customers and has been a key player in the city's German cultural landscape. Known for their beloved "wurst of the week" and a cheeky motto, "Sex, drugs, and leberkäs!" the pork store offered an eclectic array of products from German beer to leberkäse, a traditional German meatloaf. After stepping out from the oven, the leberkäse's savory aroma filled the shop, an experience captured by the New York Post in their coverage of the store's final days.
The closure is more than a simple business decision, it signals the end of a legacy for many of the shop’s patrons. Customers from as far away as South Carolina have made trips to stock up on hard-to-find items, reflecting Zum Stammtisch's reputation and the broader cultural significance such establishments hold in immigrant communities. As John Metzler, a devoted customer, lamented in a New York Post interview, "The neighborhood, which was once very German, Austrian, and even Italian, isn’t anymore. It’s a turning of a page."
