Park Deli: A Lunch Spot Worth a 25-Year Wait 

When you walk into a great deli, there’s always something in the air: the subtle waft of fresh-baked hoagie rolls, the acidic bite of a sliced dill pickle and a welcoming warmth from behind the counter. For Megan Vogler, owner of Park Deli in the Innovation Quarter, it’s a scent that lingered for years and inspired her to open her own business. 

Park Deli was opened by Megan and Chris Vogler in April of 2025 and serves up fresh sandwiches, handcrafted sides and sincere hospitality in the iQ.

“I’d been thinking about opening a space of our own for so long, and when the deli in Biotech Place became available, the timing was perfect,” Megan Vogler says. 

Park Deli has been 25 years in the making, with Vogler waiting patiently for the opportune timing, real estate and people to bring her dream of a deli to life. While entrepreneurship is grounded in vision, it also takes the right amount of patience and the right combination of people to persevere–whether that’s within the food industry or other kinds of entrepreneurship. 

The Restaurant That Was the Entrepreneurial Spark for Park Deli 

The restaurant industry has been a part of Megan Vogler’s life dating back to her teenage years. Growing up, Vogler’s neighbors, Vincent and Kim Marino, owned Upper Deck Deli that was once located across the street from the Thruway Shopping Center on Oakwood Drive in Winston-Salem. It was there where the spark for entrepreneurship first began for Vogler.

She completely fell in love with their laid-back style of owning and operating a restaurant. To this day, she remains close friends with the owners.

“I remember you would walk into the deli and the oven was right next to the door, so you’d be hit with a gust of baking bread and a smiling face welcoming you in,” Vogler says. “Warmth and a quintessential neighborhood feel was an essential part of the Upper Deck Deli, and it’s been something I’ve always wanted to return to.” 

That legacy continues through the Park Deli menu, which offers one of the Upper Deck Deli’s classic sandwiches, “The Oakwood,” which features turkey, bacon, Swiss, spinach, red onion and herb mayo, served on a hot croissant. The sandwich is one of the most popular orders and is named for the street that was once home to the Upper Deck Deli.

After her time at the Upper Deck Deli, Vogler continued on in the Thruway dining scene, working at The Loop Restaurant, where she met her now husband, Chris Vogler. Chris managed the kitchen while Megan handled the front of house.

Megan took a hiatus from the food industry when she became a mother, and Chris shifted to pursue a career in custom home building. Now, with one child at college in New York and her youngest graduating in May, Megan was ready to tackle the entrepreneurial project she’d envisioned for herself. 

“I just love working in a restaurant. I’m the type of person that never wants to sit still, and this industry keeps your feet moving and your spirit light. While many equate the restaurant industry to long hours and exhaustion, owning a restaurant keeps me grounded in my values and always looking out for others,” Vogler says. 

Why Modern Deli Counter Service Matters 

There’s a reason delis are a model that has stood the test of time. Whether it’s a New York Jewish deli, an Italian deli (Salumeria) or a German deli, there seems to always be a need and a line out the door for a custom-order, quick service restaurant serving a fresh lunch. 

“I think delis are something special because of the counter service, that’s why I wanted to open one. You walk into a deli, and you’re greeted by a whole team: sometimes the butcher, someone out front sweeping up and then a few people at the counter. It’s different from a sit-down restaurant where you mostly interact with a single server. Instead, you’re welcomed into a family,” Vogler says.

The deli style suits many needs and preferences. At Park Deli, guests can choose from a curated selection of sandwich combinations like their Bailey Park BLT or Chicken Caesar Wrap. Park Deli also offers grab-and-go fridges with cool drinks and launched an espresso menu in May 2026. 

“It’s important to keep a steady menu at a deli. We have a lot of regulars that like to come in for their staple lunch every time and we don’t want to jeopardize that. That said, we like to play around with what’s fresh and exciting to us for the special,” Vogler says.  

The iQ’s Go-To Spot for Speedy, Sincere Service

Park Deli is open Monday through Friday for lunch and being based in the iQ, they keep a steady stream of both regulars and new faces through their doors. 

“Downtown Winston-Salem is really coming alive, and it feels like the iQ is where the core of that movement is happening,” Vogler says. “We were big fans of places like Alma Mexicana and The Barcelona Burger and Beer Garden. So when a space opened up in Biotech Place, we knew this was the right place for us to get our start.”

For those that work within Biotech Place or any of the surrounding iQ buildings, Park Deli is separate enough from their workspace to provide a true respite from the work day, but close enough that it’s effortless in a pinch. 

Where dining at a full service restaurant can take more than a standard lunch hour when you factor in travel, parking and crowds, Park Deli offers online ordering, seamless pick up and a spacious patio for a quicker lunch break. 

“Being in the iQ, we serve everyone from doctors, to business professionals, to researchers, to construction crews, and taking the time to have empathy for all of them and where they’re at in their day is a way to extend our hearts and remind them they are seen and cared for. Ultimately, we want to be a space that patrons trust in giving them nutritious lunches with earnest hospitality,” Vogler says. 

The Importance of Patience in Building a Small Business 

Now a full year into serving the iQ, Park Deli celebrated with a ribbon cutting on April 16, 2026. While the celebration served as a marker for the deli’s successful first year, many restaurants never see their first anniversary. Like many small businesses, Park Deli worked through the struggle of staffing and gaining their footing during their first year. 

“While my background is in the food industry, it’s different being at the helm of things. You carry a lot more weight. It takes a long time to find the people who align with your vision, and that means being up front about your values during hiring and waiting for the right people to come along,” Vogler says. 

For Vogler, that meant having more thorough, intensive interviews that focused less on expertise and more on character. Over time, the Park Deli team grew into a small but mighty team of six, and, now one year in, they are finding that strength that comes from being rooted in company values. 

Vogler and her team have progressively learned the names of every recurring customer via their online ordering system and the method by which they take walk-in orders. One of the deli’s employees, Lynae Campbell (or “Nae” as everyone calls her), has been with them since before the doors opened. Nearly every customer is greeted by Nae from behind the counter or out in the dining room, and all the regulars have come to know her name.

“Nae quickly connected and became the walking heart of this place, offering a smile and genuine warmth to anyone who walks through our doors,” Vogler says.

Throughout her first year, Vogler has learned that to replicate the warmth that once radiated from the oven at the Upper Deck Deli, she just had to seek out the right team members. While customers are not greeted by a towering oven at Park Deli, that same warmth glows through their hospitality.

“I’ve been so touched to see a few customers come in and recognize–by bite–The Oakwood sandwich and instantly get transported back in time twenty-five years. In those moments, I visualize the warmth of walking into that deli, but now, I’m seeing it lived out in my own,” Vogler says. 

Megan Vogler knows the power of experiencing what truly comforting food can do, whether it’s continuing the legacy of the deli that drew her into food service or finding the hospitality spark to keep customers returning again and again–some for that signature sandwich from the past. 

Visit the iQ website to find more restaurant and bar options or check out the Updates section for more stories about entrepreneurship and other aspects of the innovation district.