By Myles Ma
Throughout his life, Michael Shane, 38, has always craved responsibility. He certainly had it as his last job, when he was district manager for Dean & Deluca stores in New York City, and was in charge of more than 400 people.
But he wouldn’t trade that job for his current role, owner of Deli on a Bagel Cafe. Shane has 20 years of experience in the food industry, but the number that led him to buy the Deli on a Bagel Cafe, which he has owned since Oct. 1, was 15. As in, 15 minutes. That’s the commute from his Robbinsville home to the store’s Pennington location.
Since Shane bought the place, he’s instituted delivery service at the cafe. He’s also made an effort to get to know as many of his customers by name as possible, to help give the store a neighborly feel.
“One of the joys of being an owner is the pride you take in getting to know everyone and building a relationship with everyone that comes through the door,” Shane said.
Shane said the following at Deli on a Bagel Cafe was completely different from the customers in New York. He noted that customers said hello and goodbye and stopped to chat far more often in Pennington than in the city.
One thing Shane does to keep the people coming back is change up the specials and soups every day.
“I don’t like when specials stay the same,” he said.
Shane said he now gets calls from people asking what the specials and soups are for the day. His favorite special thus far has been a chicken panini made with pesto aioli and horseradish cream sauce and carmelized onions.
The soups range from beef chili to lentil with ham to split pea.
No matter what a customer wants at the cafe, it is always available all day.
“We’re not restricted to time frames to serve breakfast items. We serve them all day throughout the day,” Shane said.
To ensure customers always get fresh food, Shane keeps the grill running all day. None of the food is ever frozen, and employees make small quantities of food all day, unlike other eateries, which make all the food in the morning.
“All of our food is made fresh,” Shane said.
That includes New York-style bagels, which are baked throughout the day and available at $10 for a baker’s dozen.
There are also the usual bagel fixings: cream cheese spreads, sliced lox, salmon and whitefish salads.
Deli on a Bagel Cafe is not a typical bagel place. It’s not just traditional deli food on bagels; food is served on multiple types of bread, and the cafe also offers wraps, salads, paninis, various appetizers and flavored gourmet coffees.
The menu includes Philly cheesesteaks, pancakes, French toast, burgers, omlets and frozen drinks.
All of this is in a cafe-like setting. Shane focused on providing ample seating, with an eye toward the store’s ambience and lighting.
He hopes to install outdoor seating in the future. He would also like to sell bagels to offices wholesale, expand the menu and open more locations.
The shop also offers delivery weekdays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Deli on a Bagel is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (609) 737-5730, or go visit their Web site at delionabagel.com. Deli on a Bagel Cafe is located at the Shoppes of Pennington Straube Center on Route 31.
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