Walk into Dilli Dilli in Millburn, and there is a story behind nearly every detail.
Inspired by Old and New Delhi, the restaurant was created to be more than somewhere to sit down for a meal. Its founders envisioned an experience; one that captures the flavors, energy, and character of Delhi in a modern setting.
It’s exactly the kind of place that excites David Mandelbaum.
For Mandelbaum, the restaurants and businesses that make a community special aren't simply about what they sell. It’s the food, but it’s also the lighting, music, design, hospitality, and feeling you get when you walk through the door.
“Restaurants are the community gathering place,” he says.
Through his real estate investments and brokerage work as a principal at KAM Management/KAM Realty Group, Mandelbaum has had a hand in connecting concepts and spaces throughout the area, including local favorites like Sunday Motor Co., Bucky’s Pizza, and Nami Nori. Underneath that work is a larger vision for suburban communities.
That vision started taking shape when Mandelbaum moved from New York City to the suburbs during COVID and noticed the migration happening around him. Families were leaving the city, but that didn't mean they wanted to leave their favorite experiences behind.
People still wanted exciting restaurants, thoughtful retail, innovative fitness concepts, and great design. They simply wanted more of it closer to home.
Mandelbaum began thinking about what could happen if the best elements of city hospitality were layered into suburban concepts.
“You start layering on some degree of city essence, city vibe, city retail experience, city design aesthetic to suburban concepts, and it creates a ‘wow’ moment,” he says.
Sunday Motor Co. in Madison became an early example.
Founder Nick Vorderman had an idea built around “coffee and cars and community.” Mandelbaum knew him through a relationship formed in the city and helped him find the Madison location and bring the real estate side together.
When Sunday Motor Co. opened, the community’s response reinforced Mandelbaum’s belief that people were hungry for distinctive experiences locally.
Today, it’s more than a coffee shop. Car enthusiasts gather there on Sundays, while friends and moms meet during the week. The music, branding, and design help create something Mandelbaum continually comes back to: community.
Sunday Motor Co. would also lead to another connection.
Bucky’s Pizza began doing pop-ups there before Mandelbaum connected with founder Dom Calise. Impressed by his Detroit-style pizza and vision, Mandelbaum helped him find a permanent location through an opportunity that came from relationships rather than a traditional “For Lease” sign.
“To see Dom go from pop-ups at Sunday Motor Co. to now he has this full-fledged rocking pizza business…that is the most gratifying experience for me,” Mandelbaum says.
That ability to connect the dots has become one of Mandelbaum’s greatest strengths.
He is endlessly curious about founders, their food, their ideas, and why they do things differently. One conversation can lead to another introduction, which can eventually lead to the right concept finding the right home.
But there has to be something special there.
“We gotta really love, and we gotta really believe in the concept that we’re working with,” he says.
Dilli Dilli reflects many qualities Mandelbaum believes can make suburban hospitality exciting. The concept was built around bringing the culinary heritage of Delhi into a contemporary dining experience, with its identity extending beyond the menu to the design and atmosphere.
For Mandelbaum, those details matter.
Consistency matters. Hospitality matters. So do the things diners may not notice: the soundtrack, lighting, design, and intimacy of a room. His goal isn’t to recreate the city in the suburbs. Instead, he believes the suburbs can borrow the best attributes of great hospitality destinations while developing an identity of their own.
It connects to a phrase central to his personal brand: Burbs Deserve Better.
Better doesn't necessarily mean bigger or flashier. It means thoughtful. It means seeing potential in an overlooked building, believing in a founder with an idea, or recognizing what a community is missing.
“I just want to create spaces that people are excited to interact in, to play in, to eat in, to work out in, to live in,” Mandelbaum says.
And as diners gather around tables at places like Dilli Dilli, Sunday Motor Co. and Bucky’s Pizza, the impact becomes tangible.
For Mandelbaum, the most rewarding part isn't simply putting another deal together. It’s helping create the kind of place that makes someone look around their community and think: I’m so happy we have this here.
To keep up with Mandelbaum’s latest projects and see what he’s working on next, follow him on Instagram at @davemandelbaum.