In this episode of Staying Hungry, hosts Michael D’Onofrio and Vinny Pappalardo sit down with Gerard and Melanie Duffy of Broadway Gourmet in Massapequa to unpack what it really takes to run a high-volume bagel shop and catering operation for more than 30 years - from 3 a.m. starts and nonstop weekend rushes to transforming a distressed nursery into a flagship location (yes, complete with a propane station in the parking lot).

If you run a restaurant, deli, bagel shop, or catering business, this episode dives deep into real-world operations: staffing under pressure, scaling catering, controlling food costs, leveraging social media, managing reviews, and maintaining quality when demand never lets up.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Husband/wife business dynamic: dividing roles, handling conflict

01:05 – Welcome + intro to Broadway Gourmet (30+ years in business)

03:00 – First location in Massapequa + adding bagels to the deli model

05:40 – Buying a distressed nursery + deciding to keep the propane station

10:05 – Bagel business origins: Brooklyn → Oceanside → Massapequa

13:10 – Second location (Lindenhurst) and why it didn’t stick

15:25 – Biggest challenges now: labor, staffing gaps, retention

18:10 – Hours, 3AM starts, and the weekly grind (365 days a year)

21:10 – Catering growth: how it expanded (especially over the last decade)

24:30 – The 2014–2016 buildout: financing, private loans, SBA hurdles

31:10 – Paying rent on the old space to protect the customer base

34:40 – Bagel quality control: recipe tweaks, rolling vs baking roles

38:50 – Backup plans for key positions (roller/baker coverage)

41:30 – Melanie’s competitive figure skating background + “perfection drive”

48:10 – Social media + tech impact: DoorDash/Grubhub visibility, catering reach

55:10 – Post-COVID catering comeback + why it’s stronger now

59:10 – Giving back: Pink the Bagels, schools/PTAs, senior meal initiative

1:04:10 – Reducing waste: donations vs Too Good To Go

1:07:40 – Expansion talk, shipping bagels, and Goldbelly plans

1:11:30 – Leadership + building a team that lets owners step away

1:15:10 – Reviews, criticism, and why owners take it personally

1:19:20 – Third-party delivery share (~20%) and in-house delivery

1:22:40 – Kiosks/self-ordering stations: what works (and who uses them)

1:26:00 – Trend products: pumpkin bagels, seasonal bagels, wild cream cheeses

1:30:10 – Legacy: consistency, community, hospitality, and “Cheers” energy

1:34:00 – Wrap-up + where to find Broadway Gourmet

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