Aaron London’s stuffed latke pockets and herbed falafel salads are no more. London closed his first foray into the fast-casual realm, AL’s Deli in San Francisco’s Mission District, over the weekend after just eight months in business.

The final blow was the coronavirus. AL’s Deli (598 Guerrero St.) relied on corporate catering for 50% of its total revenue, but those orders dropped in recent weeks as Bay Area companies began increasingly mandating its employees work from home. London said 100% of AL’s Deli’s corporate orders from the past week were canceled. It was a stark drop from the week prior, though London had started noticing cancellations at his Michelin-starred restaurant AL’s Place, also in the Mission.

“With no certainty about how long that’ll last, whether this situation is going to get better or worse, whether the government at any level will help protect and support the hospitality industry in San Francisco,” London said he had no choice but to close AL’s Deli for good. Eater SF first reported the closure.

That said, London was already looking at the possibility of closing the deli. It never found the large audience demanded by its lower prices — it served shawarma, Montreal-style smoked meat and Israeli-inspired fare to 200 to 300 customers per day but needed more like 1,500 people to be profitable.

“It definitely was a series of events, but when it came down to it, it just wasn’t enough volume. That type of model relies on massive volume,” he said.

As a chef who had been in fine dining for his whole career, London was originally excited about the new challenges a fast-casual restaurant presented. Now, he’s not so sure he’ll try opening another one. He’s still reeling from the closure, but he’s trying to look at the positives, like spending more time at AL’s Place.

The reality of operating a fast-casual restaurant meant simplifying the menu and keeping it consistent. London’s more experimental food ideas, like hot dogs stuffed into falafel balls, wound up not being very popular at the deli. He had more fun dishes in mind but never served them because of the format.

“Everything at the deli started out at AL’s Place as a special thing I tried,” he said. “Now, I can bring some stuff from the deli back to AL’s Place.”

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker