The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Carnegie Deli Pop-Up Serves Up Immersive Experience

It takes a certain deftness and eye to launch a nostalgic, historic pop-up experience. The group charged with creating the Carnegie Deli pop-up as part of the launch for season two of the Emmy award winning Amazon Prime original series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, had their work cut out for them. 

I was able to gain entrance to the November 30 pre-opening of the pop-up, located at 201 Lafayette Street in Manhattan and experienced “The Susie Sandwich” of turkey and coleslaw on rye with a Cel-ray soda while my husband sampled “The Maisel” sandwich of pastrami, salami, coleslaw and secret sauce. This all served by wait staff dressed as if it was 1958. The experience was not exactly like the original Carnegie Deli but it did create a fun 1950s vibe that sets the show. 

The menu is full of nostalgia from the 1958 prices - 99 cents for the sandwiches, 75 cents for the mini knish, 50 cents for either the black and white cookie or the cheesecake and 50 cents for pickles and the beverages. The venue has a 1950s jukebox, photo booth, photographs, telephone, signage and even a cash register. 

Experiential experiences have been more popular among brands as a way to more fully immerse audiences within the essence of a program, service or product. As Retail faces challenges from technology and online shopping, consumer expectations and desires are shifting to more immersive experiences, especially among younger consumers. Notably, millennials are seeking experiences, not material goods and this has had a spillover effect to other groups and generations.  This trend is not slowing down as more established brands try to capture the experience by creating a more unique environment. 

In fact, companies such as Conde Nast, are buying live event companies to facilitate the creation of immersive events. Recently, Glamour magazine, going completely digital, added that they see a great new revenue flow coming from events. Major decades-old brands are pivoting to capture the momentum as much as newer brands.  

According to publicist Emma Wolfe, the Maisel team worked with an activation agency called Tool which “wanted to integrate Mrs. Maisel with the Carnegie Deli which has been a New York City institution” and create synergy. According to the Tool website, the agency worked closely with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel production team and the owners of the iconic Carnegie Deli, which shut its doors in 2016 after serving New Yorkers for 79 years. The response has been amazing according to Wolfe where the reservations to dine at the pop-up filled up within 12 hours.

The Carnegie Deli pop-up opens officially to the public on December 1 and runs one week. Unfortunately, dining is by reservation only but there is also a take-out line for those who didn’t book early. Continue the nostalgic experience by tuning in for the second season,  scheduled to be released on Friday December 5.

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com