REHOBOTH BEACH — On a Tuesday morning in mid-September, with a wind chill of 41 degrees and a light drizzle coming off the Atlantic, Sal Marchetti unlocked the metal shutter of Sal's Funnel Cakes & More, fired up the fryer, and waited for customers.

There were none. There have been none since Labor Day. There will, in all likelihood, be none until Memorial Day. Sal does not consider this relevant.

"Season's not over until I say it's over," said Marchetti, 67, adjusting his paper hat against the wind. "I've been here 31 years. I know this boardwalk."

Sal's Funnel Cakes & More occupies a narrow stall near the center of the Rehoboth boardwalk, sandwiched between a closed taffy shop and a closed arcade. It is, by most measures, the only food establishment currently operating on the boardwalk, a distinction Sal views with pride rather than concern.

"People think the beach is just summer," he said, gesturing at the empty planks stretching in both directions. "Those people have never had a funnel cake in October. It hits different."

He paused to dust a fresh cake with powdered sugar for no one in particular.

"I made one yesterday. Ate it myself. Still good."

On the day of our visit, eleven people were observed on the boardwalk. Four were walking dogs. Two were joggers. One was a man in a full rain suit who appeared to be conducting some kind of survey. The remaining four were a family from Hockessin who had driven down "just to see the ocean" and were visibly underdressed.

The Hockessin family purchased one funnel cake, which they ate huddled against the railing. They described it as "really good, actually."

"See?" said Sal.

Asked whether operating through the off-season made financial sense, Sal was quiet for a moment.

"No," he said finally. "But I'm not here for the money in September. I'm here because this is my place. You close up, someone else moves in. You stay open, it's still yours."

He has, in fact, had two attempts by the boardwalk management to reassign his stall during the winter months. Both times, he refused to vacate. Both times, management declined to escalate. It is unclear whether this reflects a legal judgment or simply a reluctance to argue with a man who has been frying dough in the same spot since 1995.

Sal says he expects his first real rush of the fall season around Columbus Day weekend, when a modest wave of leaf-peepers and outlet shoppers typically passes through Rehoboth.

"They come for the Tanger Outlets," he said. "They stay for the funnel cake. That's always been the deal."

He turned back to his fryer, which was now heating oil for no immediate purpose.

"You want one?" he asked.

We did. It was, as the Hockessin family had noted, really good.