Tradition & Innovation Spell Success for Wellwood Bagels & Bialys

Al Saporito knows a good thing when he sees it.

The former 25-year Wall Street man didn’t try to "reinvent the wheel" when he took over at Wellwood Bagels and Bialys in the Sunrise Plaza Shopping Center on North Wellwood Avenue in Lindenhurst, a year or so ago.

He just tweaked it a little.

“This store has had a following of people for many years,” said Saporito, on a visit to the shop the day after Christmas.

“The place just needed a little TLC. I did some cosmetic and structural upgrades. I brought in lunch - hamburgers, turkey burgers, fries. But I kept the foundation and template that had been in place for 27 years,” he said.

The result? Wellwood Bagels and Bialys - a fixture since it opened as a mom-and-pop shop in 1983 - continues to do a landmark business.

The has had its ups and down over the years. Anchor like Rite-Aid (the for ) and Auto Barn have gone the way of the dinosaur.

Executive Computer World moved to another location while other smaller stores, like Marisa Jewelers, Baskin Robbins and others, have shut their doors for good.

Not the bagel store - in fact, the line of customers on December 26 stretched from the counter to the front door.

“That?” laughed Saporito. “It’s just a typical day. You could hardly get in here on Christmas Eve.”

The enhanced menu is one of the reasons why, he said. In addition to the dozens of varieties of bagels and specialty cream cheeses, it features muffins, turnovers and other items baked on the premises.

There are pancakes and French toast, too, along with omelettes. And there's an array of breakfast sandwiches like the Lumberjack, the Hungry Man Special and the Healthy Start.

Then comes lunch - tossed salads, soups, chili, a couple of dozen specialty sandwiches, paninis - and items from the Burger Corner.

For all of the of menu items that he’s added into the mix, Saporito has a clear concept of his fundamental product - bagels.

Bagels at the shop are crafted in a manner that aren't just unique to the New York area, but according to what he sees as the best traditions of bagel making.

“It’s not just the water, although the water in the New York area is important,” he said. “Nationwide, hot air systems are starting to spread, but we use the traditional hot water kettle. Then when the bagels go into the oven, it’s on traditional wooden boards.”

Add to that the fact that Wellwood’s bagels are hand-rolled.

“Other places the bagels are done by a machine, on a big assembly line. Here, every bagel is hand-rolled. Each one has its own DNA,” said Saporito, who is clearly enthusiastic about and proud of the bagel shop and its offerings.

That’s a recipe on which Saporito is banking to continue the high level of success he inherited at Wellwood Bagels and Bialys.

“I enjoyed dearly my time on Wall Street,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to work and live around the world. But, most of all, that experience put me in a position to purchase a store of this caliber.”

Editor's Note: The owner's last name is Saporito, not Faborita. This story has been updated to refelect that. Apologies for any confusion or upset this might've caused.