Seaford Bagels
John Scannello
Tell us about the history of Seaford Bagels.
It started out with two sets of brothers who lived across the street from one another. One of the brothers went into the bagel business and then he brought his brother in. The next thing you know my brother gets brought in. I’m sitting there working at Grumman Aerospace. I was a configuration engineer for the F-14. And I thought “I’m as smart as those other three people. I can do this.” And this is my 40th year in the bagel business. I got married, had a baby and opened up my first bagel store in the same year. Grumman left Long Island so it worked out really well. They started out with one store, then two stores. And as recently as five years ago we had 10 stores. It was chaotic but it was good. I’m 70 now so we’re down to one store – it’s our retirement store. What’s great is that we were in business altogether, we’ve known each other since we were five years old. And we’re still friends.
What makes New York bagels the best bagels?
That’s a question I get everywhere I go. I can be in Canada or Hawaii, I could be anywhere and they ask the same question. Everybody says it’s the water. The truth is, there is much more to it than that. There’s the recipe, of course. It’s the way you proof the bagel, refrigerate the bagel. For instance, no one has ever heard of a refrigerator called a retarder. It retarders the growth of the dough to stop the yeast. You have to know when to stop the dough. You have to be at high humidity, low-velocity refrigeration which helps give you that nice crust on the outside. And then of course you have to know how to bake it. How long to boil it and how long to bake it. We have brick-lined ovens so that’s an important part of the baking process.
I have many people bring me water. I tell them all the time – get me three gallons. That’s all I need. From all over the East Coast. I’ve had South Carolina water, North Carolina water, Virginia water, and Florida water. The bagels were all a little different but fundamentally they were the same. So it’s not only water that makes a bagel. It’s much much more than that.
Explain the bagel-making process.
We buy our flour directly from ADM Milling. When we make the dough we put 100 pounds of flour in our mixer. Then we put our brown sugar, salt and yeast – that’s it. If you mix it too long, it burns the dough. That’s what we call it when it gets really sticky. If you undermix it, you have a lot of clumps in it. Once you get a set mixing time – we do 12 minutes, that’s when dough is ready. And then you have to process it before it grows too big because then it won’t go through the machines.
The new mixers that we use now are called spiral mixers where the bowl rotates and the hook stays stationary. Years ago we had barrel mixers which used to take 300 pounds of flour. It was much more of a commercial type of mixer.
Based on the size, we get about 38 dozen bagels from 100 pounds of flour. Some people can get 40 or 42 dozen. Years ago guys were getting 45 or 50 dozen from 100 pounds of flour because they made the bagels smaller.
What has changed in the bagel business over the years? Do you off gluten-free bagels?
We tried it and we decided that if you’re going to a bagel store, you’re coming for a full-blown bagel. We were throwing out more than we were selling. Fortunately, in town we have a gluten-free bakery that those customers can go to.
You have to remember – it’s a bagel store. You’re not going there for healthy food.
How much can you charge for a bagel? When I started in the business it was 30 cents. That was 40 years ago. Now we get $1.50 a bagel. We run a Monday-Thursday special for a dozen for $9.99 otherwise its $18 per dozen. But we also do ‘buy 12 get 6 free’ on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Do you have a bestseller?
Plain, sesame, cinnamon raisin and everything. Those are the most popular. We also have an egg everything bagel that sells pretty good.
You must have a lot of repeat customers. Does it feel good knowing you’re providing a staple item in so many people’s lives?
That’s a great question. We have so many repeat customers that the girls will know their order before they come in. When I come in on a Sunday and we have a long line, it’s like walking through the gauntlet because everybody knows me. Even the people I don’t know seem to know me.
We make a large party bagel that will be used for donations. It serves about 22 people. I have a woman who works with me, Virginia, and she does an excellent job with that. There are a lot of fundraisers over here on Long Island. Unfortunately, they can be for events like for children who have passed away or medical issues. Or organizations like the Knights of Columbus. We had a Long Island lacrosse tournament here in July and we donated 25 of them.
What are some fun bagel trends you like to experiment with?
About four years ago my niece sent me a YouTube video of a guy making rainbow bagels. And I said “I can do that.” So now we make rainbow bagels. Years ago, we made sundried tomato bagels and jalapeño bagels. They’re nice, they’re novelty but we’re not as progressive as we used to be. There are some bagel stores out there that do a great job of being innovative, I’m passed that stage.
How many bagels do you make on an average day?
About a hundred dozen a day. A lot of egg sandwiches and other sandwiches.
Years ago we used to stay open until 7 o’clock at night and then we brought it down to 5. After COVID we changed it to 3 o’clock. It’s easier to get help when you close at 3. And everybody’s happy. I have a guy that comes in a 2 am. I have a woman who comes in at 4 and then 5 and 6. I asked Virginia if she’d like to change her hours and she said no, she’s perfectly happy getting off at noon.
What is the most underrated bagel?
The garlic bagel. I’d say it’s underrated for Italians. (Laughs) And everything egg bagels. While we do sell a lot of them, they’re underrated because there’s so much flavor in them. And the sunflower flagel (flat bagel). We use whole wheat flour and it’s a thin bagel with a lot of sunflower seeds on the top.
What’s your go-to bagel order?
I have a couple of them. One is a garlic bagel with over-easy eggs, Munster cheese and ham. If it’s not dripping down your shirt – you’re not eating it right. When I just want a bagel I’ll get an everything bagel with olive cream cheese. I also like a sunflower flagel with butter. Sandwich wise I’ll do a ham, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, sliced pickles, red onion and Russian dressing on an everything bagel. That’s when I want to pig out a little bit.
September, 2024
