Disregard, for the time being, the name "deli," which nowadays has been adopted by proprietors of many persuasions. These two South Asian storefronts are unusual because of awnings that illustrate, if indirectly, a category of desired customers.
Doaba Deli and Little Gujrat Deli face each other across one of the northernmost blocks of southward-bound Columbus Ave., not far from a West Harlem commercial garage. Many taxis pass this way. The images of yellow cabs are implicit assurances of fast and familiar food; so is Doaba Deli's checkered trim, though that detail may lost on current cabbies. It's more likely that they'd take note of the business name, which employs a less common spelling of "dhaba."
Of course, to attract taxi drivers, the most convincing yellow cabs are actual cabs — here reflected in the window of Doaba Deli and stationed in front of Little Gujrat. Parked (and double-parked) taxis attract a certain class of pedestrian customers, too.
Taxi-driver pit stops
Doaba Deli
945 Columbus Ave. (106th-107th Sts.), Manhattan
212-222-2636
Little Gujrat Deli
946 Columbus Ave. (106th-107th Sts.), Manhattan
212-866-2937
