Knights Of The Bagel Table Are Loyal To Their Lady

By Nancy K. Crevier

Is it the scent of baking bread that washes over customers as they walk into Bagel Delight that brings them back over and over again? Is it the fresh, hot coffee or the giant cookies that keep them returning time and again? It could be the opportunity to linger at an outdoor table or to sit at the window bar gazing out over the busy street on a cold, winter day that draws the clientele to the Church Hill Road Deli. But the regulars here know that it is all of that and something more: the proprietress, Eunice Laverty.

Bright and early, six days of the week, regulars Father John Inserra, John McNulty, Bill Mannhaupt, and Mark Dennen, and frequently other men from St Rose of Lima, gather at Bagel Delight after the first mass of the day. They are unanimous about what draws them to Bagel Delight, when numerous other cafes and delis are within a stone’s throw.

“Eunice brings us here. She’s a sweet woman,” says Mr Dennen. Bill Mannhaupt agrees, saying, “She’s always dependable.”

Ms Laverty fondly refers to this early morning group, members of the Knights of Columbus, as her “knights of the round table. Or is it the rectangular table?” She and her staff know exactly what time every morning to have their coffees set out at the table, just the way they each like it. When the men walk in, all they have to do is sit down and relax.

“If they’re not here, it’s not because they don’t want to be; it’s got to be something serious,” Eunice observes. “They are just great guys; they are quality. All of the people that come in are quality people.”

For nearly 12 years, Ms Laverty has watched her patrons come and go, change and grow, always taking the time to listen to what they have to say. “People come in just to sit and talk,” she says.

Her concern for her patrons is genuine, perhaps a holdover from her early years as a social worker. “I like to know their families, what they like. We have a very personal relationship with our customers.”

Her regular customers are as devoted to her as she is to them. One customer, Mike Tomer, even takes time on his day off to do handy work around the store. Ms Laverty does not ask him to do so; he sees something that needs doing and fits it into his day.

Another frequent customer stops in late in the afternoon and Ms Laverty immediately puts on a fresh pot of coffee for him, over his protests. “It’s a personal thing,” she says with a shrug.

The four morning regulars can list other reasons to remain loyal to Bagel Delight and Ms Laverty. “She has provided food for many of our Knights of Columbus events — big, huge grinders. And she never charges,” says Mr Dennen. Father Inserra adds, “She provides coffee for our night events, too.”

The men are certain that no one ever leaves the store hungry, all due to the generosity of Ms Laverty. That is why they make Bagel Delight the place they call their own.

“Our customers are embarrassingly loyal,” Ms Laverty says. “I just like a person to leave here feeling that we are very concerned about the way they feel.”