Perly’s building sold, restaurant to continue as usual

Perly’s regularly attracts crowds along East Grace Street. (Mike Platania photo)

A popular downtown Jewish restaurant has a new landlord and co-owner. 

Perly’s Restaurant & Delicatessen’s building sold last month for $815,000, according to city property records. 

The buyer was an entity tied to local entrepreneur Ramy Abraham, who said he also purchased a stake in the Perly’s business. 

The longtime restaurant dates back decades and in recent years has been owned and run by couple Kevin and Rachelle Roberts, formerly of Black Sheep, and the Giavos family.

Abraham, a former franchisee for restaurant chain Charleys Cheesesteaks, said he’s a longtime fan of Perly’s and the restaurant’s lease went unchanged through the sale. He added that the Robertses will continue to run the restaurant. 

“They continue as before with my full support,” Abraham said in an email. “The restaurant will continue to operate as it always has, with no significant changes to its business or daily operations.”

Abraham bought the building from Scott Coleman, who had purchased it in 2014 for $350,000 and helped relaunch Perly’s after its previous iteration had closed in 2013. Reached this week, Coleman said he’s just at a point in his life where he felt it made sense to sell.

The sale closed March 21, with One South Commercial’s Chris Corrada representing Coleman in the deal and Commonwealth Commercial’s Morgan Trible representing Abraham. 

The Roberts and Giavos families weren’t available for comment by press time. 

The city most recently assessed the property at $581,000.

Abraham declined to say whether the $815,000 price tag included the stake in the restaurant. He said he’s planning a few improvements to the building’s infrastructure, including upgrading its HVAC system and adding more room for storage. 

In addition to Perly’s, the Giavos family owns a slew of other restaurants in the area, including Kuba Kuba, Sidewalk Cafe and Stella’s. Earlier this year the family unveiled plans for their latest venture, Lafayette Tavern, which is set to open across from Stella’s in Malvern Gardens.