The restaurant offered pastrami, corned beef, and other sandwiches containing at least one pound (450 g) of meat, as well as traditional Jewish fare such as matzoh ball soup, latkes, chopped chicken livers, and lox.

In addition to the large servings, the restaurant was also known for its surly waiters, who allegedly tried to impart some of the stereotypical gruffness of New York to visitors.

The one-time owner of Pastrami & Things, a delicatessen located at Third Avenue and 23rd Street, he joined Milton Parker and Fred Klein in 1976, purchasing the Carnegie Deli from the trio of Bernie Gross, Max Hudas and Thomas North.

He created a 60-pound (27 kg) Statue of Liberty carved from chopped liver, complete with a torch fashioned from a turkey wing, for the United States Bicentennial and was asked to prepare corned beef and pastrami for visiting heads of state attending the G7 economic summit meeting held in 1983 in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Milton Parker, who died in 2009, had written a book (with Allyn Freeman) called How to Feed Friends and Influence People: The Carnegie Deli, providing the history of the family's ownership.

On April 24, 2015, the main Midtown Manhattan branch of Carnegie Deli was closed temporarily due to the discovery of an illegal gas line in the restaurant.

"[5] Two branches in Las Vegas, Nevada and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania remained open, as well as the wholesale distribution service.

[13] In May 2019, Amazon Prime with A2Z brought Carnegie Deli back again, this time as a food truck which travelled around Manhattan for three days giving out sandwiches and cookies for free in order to help promote The Marvelous Mrs.

The Carnegie Deli used a half-ton of brisket to prepare a week's supply of corned beef by the time of his death.

It was a place frequented by many reporters in the city, including staffers from Black Rock (aka the CBS Building) such as Bob Simon.

In March 2012, the deli introduced a sandwich dedicated to newly arrived New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow.

[11][12] In addition to the retail operation, the restaurant sells cheesecakes and merchandise such as T-shirts and baseball caps online.

In March 1979, Mimi Sheraton penned a New York Times newspaper review that rated Carnegie Deli the "Tops" in pastrami and corned beef preparation and taste.