Photo by Jesse Winters
By Liz Witbeck
It has been a little more than a year since Eric Vreeken and his wife Erin Hunnewell purchased the Moose on the Loose Deli, located in the French Mountain Outlets in Lake George. Already they have expanded, following the success of the first location.
A vacancy opened up across the street, in a space previously occupied by Sammy D’s, in the Adirondack Outlet Mall. Vreeken and his staff seized the opportunity to open up the second location.
Vreeken is a veteran of the restaurant industry. He started his career with his first business, a food distribution company. He sold it to purchase the original Moose on the Loose Deli with his wife. He has worked in food and restaurants for the past 15 years.
The new restaurant, Moose on the Loose Café, opened in November at 1444 Route 9 in Lake George.
“The convenience of having the two locations near each other was very attractive,” said Vreeken. “Another issue is that we did not have a lot of space at the current deli.”
Staff previously ordered items several times each week, because there was not enough storage space to handle large volumes of inventory.
The new location, 1,500 square feet, accommodates more customers. Vreeken also plans to store inventory for both locations there.
The first Moose on the Loose opened in 2016. The owners hope that the expansion of the restaurant establishment can help become a sought-out eatery hot spot in the Adirondacks.
“Before, we were just this small deli in the corner. The reason that people ate here was because they were shopping and they wanted something quick to eat,” said Vreeken. “Now we have more visibility in the area. I am hoping we can brand our business into something that people want to seek out.”
Although the two restaurants share the same ownership and are in close proximity, they have differences. One is the food. The second eatery focuses on heartier fare, such as pizzas, paninis and wraps. The original location is well known for hot and cold sandwiches.
Some of the most popular dishes on the menu are the Southwestern Panini, a sandwich made with chicken, bacon, chipotle and spinach. Pizza is popular, he said. Homemade soups are available each day.
The staff has noticed a difference in the demographics of people that frequent each location. While the original deli tends to attract seniors, the staff has noticed young couples coming in for food at the new location. Vreeken attributes this to the prominence of trendy stores at the Adirondack Outlet Mall, such as LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, Under Armour, and others.
One of the keys to the success of the restaurant, said Vreeken, is to keep everything as fresh and local as possible. All of the meats come from local producers, such as Glazier in Malone, N.Y., which supplies hot dogs and turkey, and Reliable Brothers of Cohoes, which supplies beef. All of the vegetables are freshly cut on-site and all breads and rolls come from local bakeries.
Vreeken also negotiated the purchase of the space which was previously occupied by Warren County Tourism. The space had been used for visitors to come and learn about the area, gather brochures and get questions answered.
That space, right next to the new Moose on the Loose Café, will be converted into a juice bar, said Vreeken. Customers will be able to order freshly pressed juices, hot coffees and spiced ciders. The juice bar is scheduled to open in January.
Moose on the Loose Deli features an Adirondack theme. There are tables and chairs made out of reclaimed wood. A large, seven-foot-tall moose is being carved especially for the eatery.
Moose on the Loose is designing its own app that will allow customers to order their food online. Orders will be available for pickup.
Moose on the Loose Café is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. For more information, visit them on their Facebook page.