Delaware deli featured on Guy Fieri series has 3 break-ins in 5 weeks

Maiale Deli’s tasty food caught the eye – and taste buds – of celebrity chef Guy Fieri, star of the Food Network show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” Fieri visited Maiale and several other New Castle County eateries for his TV series in February 2019.

The episode showcasing Maiale first aired in July 2019 and has been rebroadcast several times on the program popularly known as “Triple D.”

A News Journal reader sent a photo of Food Network star Guy Fieri posing with fans outside of Maiale Deli and Salumeria on Lancaster Pike in Wilmington. Fieri was filming a segment of his TV series “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” (Photo: Courtesy photo)

Rawstrom isn’t sure why his business was targeted by a thief. No other businesses in the Cannery Shopping Center have had break-ins.

“I’ve been here six years, and this has never happened before. I think people are getting more desperate with everything going on,” he said.

The glass door of the Maiale shop in the Cannery Shopping Center was first smashed on March 21 around 3:39 a.m. The break-in was caught on a video camera outside of the restaurant. The shop does not have video cameras inside.

The thief, dressed in a hoodie and a medical mask, grabbed some iPads inside the shop and about $300 to $400 cash that was in the register, Rawstrom said.

He said the thief worked fast. According to video footage, the entire robbery lasted about 2 minutes. 

Rawstrom spent $600 to replace the door. It was installed two weeks ago. Then, on April 22 the same door was smashed again. This time, the thief took $40 in cash from the register. Nothing else was taken or damaged.

Rawstrom put plywood on the door and hadn’t yet replaced it when a third break-in happened early Saturday morning.

This time, the theft broke a window next to the door and ran away with a small amount of change from the register.

The window of Maiale Deli on Lancaster Pike in Wilmington was smashed either late Friday night or early Saturday morning. It’s the shop’s third break-in in the past 5 weeks. (Photo: Courtesy of Billy Rawstrom)

Rawstrom said he seldom has cash transactions anymore with customers since the coronavirus pandemic.

Maiale is already fighting to stay in business, Rawstrom said, and the break-ins haven’t helped.

“This definitely hurts my bottom line,” he said. “It’s definitely been a struggle. Sales are 50% off. We’re working with a skeleton crew. I’m just trying to get people in my doors.”

Rawstrom said he is trying to stay positive and customers and friends have offered to help out with installing more security cameras for the store. 

“I’m just going to stay strong and keep moving forward every day,” he said.

“Like they say the show must go on, well, business must go on. I’m going to keep plugging away and eventually we’ll find some normalcy.”