Business Profile: Sansotta Brothers I and II, Cortlandt
Cortlandt residents Dan and Michael Sansotta have had so much success with their first deli in Cortlandt that they decided to open a second location in town last September.
The brothers’ first establishment on Westbrook Drive opened in November 2003 and Sansotta Brothers II opened on Crompond Road last fall.
“We were interested in finding a second location for a few years,” Dan said last week. “It seemed like the right opportunity.”
Dan operates the duo’s original locations while Michael oversees Sansotta Brothers II.
The Westbrook Drive deli was the first business owned by the brothers. Michael is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. “A little more than 10 years ago he decided to open this business and gave me the opportunity to join him. So I moved up here from Long Island,” Dan said.
Dan said unlike his brother, he did not have previous experience working in delis. “I thought it was a good opportunity,” Dan explained, adding he had experience working in the hospitality field, “but never with food. He took me under his wing. He taught me from the basics pretty much everything I needed to know.”
The brothers prepare the meals that are sold at both locations and for catering events. The Sansottas frequently cater events at the Christopher Columbus Society in Peekskill.
The delis offer deli meats and cheeses, sandwiches, breakfast and lunch, butchered meats, and fresh pasta, as well as selling many food items imported from Italy
One of the most popular sandwiches is the “Sotta Special,” which includes breaded eggplant, fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts, roasted pepper, lettuce and balsamic vinaigrette, Dan said. “We sell all of our specialty sandwiches pretty well.”
Sansotta Brothers II servers set lunch specials for every day of the week.
The brothers know many of their customers by name. “After 10 years, you get to know them,” Dan said. “We have a very loyal customer base.”
While Michael declined to be interviewed, his wife, Lisa, said when the second location became available it provided “a good opportunity to expand.”
Sansotta Brothers II offers items not available in the first location, including pannines and rotisserie chicken and “a full hot food” menu, Lisa said.
Business at Sansotta Brothers II has been “very good,” Lisa said, adding that the new location has mostly been promoted through word of mouth. “They already know our name,” she said.
Why have the Sansotta brothers been so successful? “We offer a quality product at a fair price. And I think we provide excellent service,” Dan said. “We do whatever we can to please the customer. And everybody that’s employed here takes pride in the product that they put out and that’s the key to success.”
Sansotta Brothers I is located at 2 Westbrook Drive in Cortlandt. For more information, call 914-526-4260. Sansotta Brothers II is located at 2008 Crompond Rd. in Cortlandt. For more information, call 914-737-1100. Information is also available at sansottadeli.com.
