Local favorite Holiday Deli & Ham Co. will be auctioned off to the highest bidder Thursday, Oct. 26, but the current owner hopes the restaurant will live on. 

The online-only sale of the business, which is being offered through Morris Realty & Auction, will be open until Thursday at noon. It includes two Holiday Deli & Ham locations that are being sold as a “going concern,” meaning the sale includes the whole business, the location and everything in the stores. This includes the inventory, equipment, business assets and website, etc. 

Table Talk: Trouble at Holiday Ham and a to-go trend

“You’re bidding on (Holiday Deli & Ham Co.) as a whole,” Jeff Morris, president of Morris Realty & Auction, said. “You’re not buying piece by piece. You’re bidding on one location or the location in its entirety.” 

Anyone can register and bid but they must call Morris Realty & Auction first for approval. The winner of the auction can keep the business going or do with the locations as they see fit.

But Holiday Deli & Ham owner Trey Jordan said he wants to see his family’s legacy go on. 

“I want to encourage somebody who wants to see this brand continue to put their offer in and help us keep this local brand going,” Jordan said. “It would mean something to me to see my family’s legacy keep going.” 

Jordan opened the fast-casual restaurant with his dad, Don Jordan, 30 years ago, in 1993. While it started out as an opportunity for the two to bond, it became a place for Memphians to buy holiday hams, turkeys, casseroles, cakes and more. 

New Eats: East Memphis’ Belle Meade Social opens

“We were one of the very first delis in the city of Memphis that I recall, but we’re a fast-casual restaurant,” Trey Jordan said. 

Many of the deli’s recipes were family-made, and many items were named after family members. 

“It’s just been a family affair,” Trey Jordan said. “We had all the names of products and food, for years, were all my family’s names, like my kids’ names, my wife’s name, my sisters’, my dad’s, my mom’s. It’s just been a fun labor of love.” 

Trey Jordan’s dad created the pimento cheese; his mom made the tuna fish salad recipe. 

After COVID-19, the company struggled to get back on its feet; Trey Jordan said the pandemic was “pretty tough” on the business. 

After closing one location, Belly Acres expands offerings at another

“Some people weathered it better than others, and our concept just didn’t fare very well during COVID,” he said. “We’ve made a decision for the brand to see it while it can still be awesome.” 

The restaurant’s parent company, Holiday Ham Holdings LLC, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee in July. That company also includes Pimentos Burgers, Bar & Grill. 

Holiday customers have told Trey Jordan that the business is a “beloved brand” and a “local favorite,” and one part of the brand will remain with him. He’ll be helping a company sell the Holiday Deli & Ham products in grocery stores nationwide.