Colgate students and Hamilton residences alike will soon see the return of Parkside Deli/Café and Catering.

The perennial community favorite is set to re-open by the end of next week in its new location in the old Pizza Place storefront, just a few doors down from the deli’s former residence. This comes only a few weeks after the October 22 fire that rendered Parkside’s Broad Street location unusable.

The past two weeks have been trying for Parkside’s ownership and staff. Employees were responsible for all debris removal from the deli’s former location, filling five large dumpsters with wreckage from the fire. Once Parkside owners Carolyn Gherardi and Craig DiBattista secured the new location, their employees set to work on various preparation chores such as painting and constructing walls. Only one of Parkside’s employees decided to not stay on after the fire.

Moving into a new location presented some challenges for Gherardi and her staff.

“You’d think that moving into a pizza restaurant would be easy, but they just had a baking oven. We had to put in all of our equipment,” Gherardi said.

Over the next few days, Parkside’s staff will be putting the finishing touches on the new restaurant. Some equipment still needs to be delivered and installed. All of the store’s utilities should be functional by this weekend, and just a few decorative additions need to be made before the store is ready for business.

Customers will notice a few cosmetic changes in the new Parkside. More space is available, so seating will be maximized by the use of booths. The new deli will have an overall more modern look.

However, fans of Parkside’s wraps, salads, and other specials should not fear. All of the menu boards from the old restaurant have been recreated, and patrons will be able to order anything from the old menu.

“We want to make it Parkside unique,” Gherardi said. “The menu and the quality will be the same. The overall ambience is very different, but a good different.”

Student meal plans will also be up and running by the end of next week. Gherardi said that she has been in close contact with students with full-time meal plans to find a way to make up for any lost meals.

The Hamilton community has shown a lot of support for Parkside over the past few weeks. According to Gherardi, Stewart’s Country Storage gave the deli a storage unit to use during their time of transition, and she has received many calls from community members and Colgate parents expressing their sympathy.

“We didn’t realize the impact we had in the community,” Gherardi said.