Federal Meats - Buffalo

Location

[[See locations section]]

Hours

Mon-Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 5pm.

Phone

(716)633-0838

Website

1 http://www.federalmeats.com

Type of restaurant

Deli, Delicatessen

Payment Methods

Cash, credit(MC,Visa), EBT, personal check (If on check log)

History

Federal Meats is the company name for several deli/butcher shops located in Niagara and Erie County, New York. The business was officially established in 1930, by the Dowdall family. The invention of the refrigerated display case in 1927 paved way for the opening of Federal, only 3 years later. Before refrigeration, it was incredibly expensive and difficult to run a meat market, relying on huge blocks of ice to keep the products cool.

In the early days of business, Federal meats had only one location in the city of Buffalo. Their products were sold in a much different fashion then; it was much more common in the early to mid 20th century to buy an entire “side” of beef, which is essentially one half of the edible portion of a cow. Without the corporate world of fast food and the vast amount of restaurants to choose from, families who did not farm and enjoyed the suburban lifestyle would often stock up on meats for their ice boxes or freezers at home.

Meats were delivered in a much less processed form, often directly from the slaughterhouses. A line of hooks still surround the perimeter of the coolers where these sides of “hanging beef” once hung, no longer in demand or availability that they once were.

In its 83 years of production, the business remains in the Dowdall family, currently operated by William Dowdall. It the 1970’s, during the peak of the business, there were nearly 20 Federal locations, spanning over more rural areas such as Lockport and busy areas such as Downtown Buffalo. However, in recent years the business has consolidated to 10 locations, covering nearly 1,500 square miles in the greater Buffalo area, and online, at www.federalmeats.com

Product

From store to store, their prices and menu items stay nearly identical; there are only a few differences from location to location.

Federal meats uses Hereford Beef products; a direct message from their website: Benefits of Certified Hereford Beef® • Hereford and Hereford-British • USDA Certified • 100% Product of U.S.A. • Naturally tender, juicy and flavorful beef • Minimally processed with no artificial ingredients • Midwestern, corn-fed vegetarian diet • Rancher Owned • Consistent, research-proven quality

http://www.herefordbeef.net/commitment/ourcommitment

Poultry is delivered nearly exclusively through Will Foods.

The turkey that Federal Meats provides is through the company Plainville. Their turkey undergoes special treatments to ensure quality:

• No Antibiotics Ever Administered • Vegetarian Fed • Humanely Raised • No Growth Hormones http://plainvillefarms.com/about-plainville-farms/earthwise/

Facts About Federal Meats

Federal thrives on its valued customer service. Any meat is available to be cut to order for any specific size or amount. Compared to other local delis, Federal includes expertise and accuracy as part of the service. A customer with special needs or particular orders can call ahead to have their meats or deli products prepared in a fashion that suits them the best.

• Orders can be made over the phone for same-day pickup, unless an order is required.

• Carryouts are an expected part of the shopping routine at Federal Meats.

• Hot or cold sandwiches can be made, or ordered for pickup

• 90 percent of the cooked foods sold out of Federal Meats are cooked right in the store’s kitchen, including the chicken salad, ham salad, barbeque pork and beef, meatballs, fish fry, and more.

• Many of these recipies date back over nearly an entire century, a collaboration that extends outside the boundaries of the Dowdall family, many of which current and former employees have added or supplemented.

• Several specialty deli meats are offered that can not be found at smaller stores, such as prosciutto, capicola, suprasetta, and pastrami. Perhaps the most popular uncommon item is whole slab bacon, that is bacon that is unsliced, and cut to the customer’s desired thickness.

• Any meat that is sold can be trimmed, sliced or cut to the customer’s liking, free of charge.

• All items are UDSA choice quality or higher. Federal Meats’ business thrives on its attention to quality. The business slogan today is “Fresher is better”, and customers expect that they live up to the expectation.

• Federal Meats is the only store in Buffalo to serve a rotisserie roasted haddock fish fry, sold traditionally on every Friday.

• Customers have the option to purchase a roast, cook it at home, and bring it back in to be sliced to their liking.

• Meat is cut on a much smaller scale than that of supermarkets, so the variety actually increases. Many items sold at Federal, and for that matter other Deli stores cannot be found in supermarkets.

• Beef and pork are ground daily, from full pieces of chuck and round, as opposed to trimmings and fatty pieces that more inexpensive and lower quality stores market.

• Meat is cycled and divided accordingly to prevent waste and rotten product. At the end of business hours, the fresh ground beef is formed into patties and sold as frozen hamburgers before it loses its color or flavor.

Interesting Stories of Federal’s History

• Summer in February- Several times since Federal’s introduction, the employees of Federal Meats stores will stand outside in the snow, and grill hot dogs as a marketing campaign, free to customers of the store.

• Jingles- During the 1980s, a spokesperson for Federal Meats, Wendy Bishop, appeared in radio ads singing the Federal Meats jingle- “Federal Meats! The freshest meats in town!”

• Federal Meats existed long before digital scales. In the beginning, the scales used were 1930 model computing scales, racked with a cylindrical roll of numbers to determine pricing, on a scale made with weights and springs.

• No Two Recipes are the Same- Due to the numerous locations spread throughout the area, coupled with the 80 years of production, several recipes have been changed either to suit the area’s demographic (Mayo or Miracle Whip, types of cheeses, etc.), or have become personalized by the employees/managers for taste, expanding Federal Meats variety even further. Some recipes date back to the company’s birth, leaving nearly an entire century for improvement.

Menu Items

Popular Menu Items Barbeque Pulled Pork- A slow roasted and pulled pork loin shoulder, mixed with Cattleman’s barbeque sauce Barbeque Pulled Beef- Federal’s own roasted beef, shaved and mixed with Cattleman’s barbeque sauce Goulash- Elbow macaroni in a ground beef pasta sauce, topped with parmesan/romano cheese. Calico Bean salad – A 4 bean salad made with beef, sausage, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, garlic and onion. Chicken Salad- A simple, but popular dish made with celery, cooked and chopped boneless chicken breast, and Miracle Whip

Other menu items include: Ham Salad Greek salad Tomato Salad Fully cooked beef and boneless pork ribs Meatloaf Sandwich Spread Homeade macaroni and pepper cheese Macaroni salad Homeade chicken wing dip Lasagna Chicken Parmesan Rotisseree roasted haddock fish fry (Fridays) Homeade stuffing Fully cooked chicken or beef meatballs

Frozen Items Wraps- Chicken & Salsa Taco Barbeque Steak Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Chicken fingers Chicken fritters Homeade chicken cordon Bleu Homeade Broccoli and cheese Cordon Bleu Homeade Ham and cheese Cordon Bleu

Hereford Beef Products Sirloin steak Flank Steak Flat Iron steak New York Strip Steak Whole, Half Beef tenderloin Bacon wrapped tenderloin fillets Porterhouse/T-bone steak Federal’s Meatloaf mix

Pork Stuffed Chops, with Federal’s own stuffing Bone in chops Butt Roast Shoulder Roast Pork Tenderloin In-store made sausages, ranging from: Chicken sausage Mild Hot "Chicken Wing" Spinach and Feta(Chicken)

Chicken/Turkey

Boneless breasts Bone in breast Cooked “quick chicks”-Pre marinaded breast fillets, Italian, Buffalo, chiavetta’s andbutter and herb Whole Plainville Turkey Breast Stuffed Breasts Chicken Legs Whole Fryer Chickens Stuffed Chickens (upon request)

Specialty Items

Chicken or Beef Kabobs Peameal bacon Fully cooked dinner entrees Slab bacon, pre sliced and rind-on for specific slicing Federal’s own bologna made by Sahlen’s Boar’s head, Sahlen’s, and Thumann’s deli products Sorrento Cheeses, Land o Lakes, Lorraine’s Swiss Stuffed Banana Peppers, varying varieties from sausage, four cheese, and “spicy wing” Veal Cutlets Dinner entrees Liver and other exotic, rare animal parts.