Recently, Bagel Boss, one of Port’s most popular bagel stores,  has transformed into Port Café. Many people who regularly attended Bagel Boss were confused about  why their favorite bagel store suddenly altered into a cafe.

Bagel Boss is a franchise that has been around for over 50 years.  It has various different locations around Long Island, including Roslyn, as well as within the Solomon Schechter schools.  It is best known for its kosher menu, fresh bagels, Atlantic smoked salmon, pastries, and elaborate catering services.

The Bagel Boss in town was a very popular and convenient place to stop for breakfast as many students get dropped off there before walking to school.  It seems that almost everyone in Port has tried a bagel from Bagel Boss.  Their popularity comes as no surprise given their motto, “At Bagel Boss it begins with a bagel and ends with brilliance.”

Yet, if Bagel Boss proved to be such a success in the past few years, what sparked the sudden swap from bagel store to Port Café?

Debra Daniels, the wife of the owner of Bagel Boss’s explained that the store was receiving a surplus of non-kosher food related requests.  Customers who were not restricted to a kosher diet wanted different foods from Bagel Boss such as sandwiches and the mix of dairy and meat, so the switch was made to meet the desires of a larger group of customers.

Port Café continues to serve Bagel Boss’s beloved bagels, black and white cookies, chips, and brownie bites. Now they also serve chicken or turkey sandwiches, caesar salads, and more.  About a week ago, their chef made chicken parmesan and it sold out within 30 minutes.

Port Café has the same employees and while the design of the store has changed a bit, it is still very similar.  Since the change, business has improved.

Since it still has bagels, and offers the gourmet food platters for which they were always praised, Port Café has maintained all of the loyal Bagel Boss costumers.

“We’re seeing the same people who love our bagels and cream cheese and lox and the same things we’ve always had, but now we’re seeing people who want things like bacon, egg, and cheese, people who aren’t restricted to a completely kosher diet,” said Ms. Daniels.

The restaurant has also introduced a Schreiber student lunch card service so students can buy five sandwiches or salads and get the sixth free.