110 degrees magazine - Index

110 degrees magazine - magazine - Index

BLOOM I LIP-SMACKING
themselves to giving customers a good experience
to go along with the tasty products they are
purchasing. “We care about customer service
more than anybody we could hire would ever care
about it,” Ryan said.
THE RIGHT STUFF
Lacking the immense resources that stand
behind the big chains, a family-owned business
like Willy’s would fail unless the family figured
out how to beat them at their own game.
“Fortunately, out-performing places like
Starbucks and Noah’s is not as difficult as
people might imagine,” Ron said. “We add
energy, creativity, and a personal touch that no
large corporation could ever match. Plus, we
offer unmatched quality and service.”
For one thing, unlike the big corporate
outlets, the staff at Willy’s create their products
themselves. They bake the bagels and make
everything else, including baked goods and
gourmet bagels on site. Four bakers work in rotation
with ovens in both locations in order to
provide the baked-fresh-and-on-the-premiseseach-day
freshness that customers expect.
Ron told me that there are various methods
for making a bagel. For example, some businesses
boil them. Ron said that he discovered
the process that produces the tastiest possible
bagel. (For obvious reasons, he wouldn’t share
with me which process they use.)
The quality and great taste of Willy’s products
come both from their recipes and from the quality
control they enforce upon the process beginning
with purchasing ingredients, through “proofing”
(which is the industry term for the yeast-rising
process), on to baking, and then to presentation.
The Willy’s-type bagel is known in the industry
as “California Bagels.” They are lighter,
fluffier, and larger than the bagels you would
find in a place like a New York delicatessen, for
80 www.110mag.com September/October 2008
“IF YOU SIT IN WILLY’S BAGELS LONG
ENOUGH ALMOST EVERYONE IN BRENTWOOD
WILL EVENTUALLY WALK PAST YOU.”
example. The larger size is important because
they enable Willy’s to serve a bagel sandwich
sufficiently large to play the central role in a
satisfying lunch or breakfast.
They slice everything, deli style. Sprouts,
tomatoes, cucumbers, etcetera are perfectly
fresh. Willy’s gear their menus and recipes to
local Made In Brentwood products and adjust
ingredients as the seasons change. They offer a
selection of great-tasting homemade soups in
the fall.
Willy’s has spent a lot of effort researching
combinations of spreads and building flavors
into their bagels, sandwiches, and cream cheese
mixtures. People can choose bagels from a list
that includes such things as onion, blueberry,
cinnamon, and whole wheat (the healthy
choice). The gourmets have especially made
them popular. Customers have come to love the
Marinara, Asiago, Spinach-Artichoke, Pesto, Sundried
Tomato, and Jalapeño Bagels.
Willy’s offers a choice for every taste. Kids
love the rich pizza taste of marinara. Spinach is
a good choice for diet conscious people.
Jalapeño appeals to people who want some zest
in their lives. People have told them that their
lox is the best they ever tasted.
A number of people patronize Willy’s because
of their combinations; they put variety into
people’s lives and — with their Jalapeno-Popper
Bagels — some spice as well.
Eating a Spinach Artichoke Bagel sandwich is
a different experience altogether than a Big Mac;
an Asiago Cheese Bagel with ham provides a
completely different eating experience than a
taco. Willy’s toasted Grandma’s Chicken Salad
Bagel is a popular choice for someone who simply
wants an amazingly good and healthy sandwich.
Willy’s quality extends beyond their bagels
to the other parts of the business. Some
customers keep coming back because, in their
opinion, the coffee is simply the best available.
For the past dozen years they’ve been making
classic smoothies with fresh fruit, which really
does create an entirely different taste experience
than smoothies made from jams and
syrups. And at 24 ounces a serving, they are
large enough for most people to share.
Their Mocha Mania — made with coffee,
chocolate, and non-fat yogurt — has been a
particular favorite of many happy customers
over the years.
Willy’s mom, Karen, runs the catering business,
making deliveries to local hospitals and businesses.
She catered grand openings for the new
police department, JC Penny, Travis Credit Union,
and KinderCare. Two local churches, Cornerstone
and New Hope, maintain standing orders.
Karen lifts catering to the level of excellence
that marks all the parts of the business, providing
such things as fresh flowers and pedestal
dishes in order to create a pleasant context,
customized for each event.
The new Balfour store features an event room
that can accommodate up to 50 people. It has
hosted everything from business conferences
to bridal showers. The room features built in
display electronics.
BEYOND BAGELS
“Willy’s Bagels is our life and we’re connecting
with the community in a number of ways,” Scott
said. They support non-profits and events such
as the annual Relay for Life. They deliver end-ofday
product to the staff and residents at the
Shepherd’s Gate women’s shelter and support
the Salvation Army’s Christmas Toy Drive.
“It seemed that the names of needy families
weren’t being taken off the Salvation Army’s
Christmas Tree,” Ryan said. “So last year we
began grabbing the names ourselves and handing
them out.”