When John Runner, owner of West Street Deli, 2810 West St., says everything in his restaurant is made from scratch, he means everything.

“Even tuna salad,” Runner said. “I cook tuna fillets — yellowfin tuna fillets. And I don’t think a lot of people know, they just know it’s good.”

Whether consumers know the source of the quality or not, they do notice. Runner said the deli doesn’t do much advertising, but relies on word of mouth for much of its new business. Over the past nine years that word has spread, building West Street Deli a loyal following among residents, faculty, and both current students and graduates.

“If they stay locally they keep coming,” Runner said.

From the way Runner tells the story, the deli’s creation was almost an accident.

Runner and his father started the business when he was just 20 years old. Runner started renting a building on West Street to take his catering to the next level.

“It just kind of developed into this deli,” Runner said.

True to his catering background, Runner still does much of the cooking.

“There’s only a couple cooks. It’s like my wife and myself,” Runner said.

That means what customers get is the real deal — homemade cookies, real soups, and quality deli products.

“We smoke our own meat. We cook our own chicken breasts that we cut up. We cook our own beef for our roast beef,” Runner said.

Since it’s all made from scratch, it’s all fresh.

“Everything’s made in smaller batches, and frequently,” Runner said.

But prices are still reasonable, due in part, Runner said, to the fact that the business is family owned and run.

“Nobody can really take the time to do [what we do], and for the price we do it for,” Runner said.

The restaurant also has an eclectic, family, neighborhood feel. Several old-time pictures of Iowa State adorn the walls.

“My great-grandpa went to college here in 1914. He was in the first engineering class.

Also adorning the deli is a multicolored, textured piece of art depicting typical deli vegetables — a gift from several art students who frequented the deli.

“When we first opened they were like, ‘we should make this for you,’” Runner said.

Runner creates the recipes for the deli’s menu himself, and he’s always creating.

“We’ve managed to keep things fresh — not just get stuck in a rut,” Runner said.

The restaurant runs new items as lunch specials, which, depending on the popularity with customers, might be added to the deli’s regular menu.

It’s a continuous turnover, a search for something better.

“We’re not satisfied to just let things sit,” Runner said. “We try to make improvements all the time — better ingredients, better recipes. Each year we get better.”

Runner gives much of the credit for the deli’s success to his family, specifically his father, who helped the business get off the ground in the first place.

“My dad’s a good businessman,” he said. “I learned a lot from him. He’s been in business longer than I’ve been alive.”