During Norma Trevino’s 20-plus years in corporate America, she had never considered becoming a business owner. But in 2011, when Trevino came to participate in the Ladies Kingfisher Tournament held in August, she spotted a For Sale sign on BadaBing Bagels. “I was a customer of the bagel shop when it first opened in Port Isabel. I started talking to my sister about buying it and moving to the island,” she recalled.
Trevino thought the asking price for the business was not “affordable,” but she and the owner exchanged emails and pictures. “I was able use my corporate background to look at the financials, while my sister was looking at the market. So we negotiated a price that was better, and I think we both came out happy.” The transaction closed that November.
Trevino, a Brownsville native whose mother had talked about taking the ferry to the island, set about remaking Bada Bina Bagels, which had relocated to South Padre Island on Padre Blvd. “We changed the relationship with the customer. We try to be more service-oriented, with a more creative menu, serving things kids would like,” Trevino said. Getting better quality from vendors was important.
Bada Bing’s bagels are handmade in New York City and Long Island, flash frozen and trucked to Texas, a fact which has created supply chain challenges. “In winter, you’ve got to worry about the weather holding up shipments.” After snowstorms delayed shipments, Trevino started a contest having customers guess the delivery day as they awaited their favorite bagels.
“We’re the only bagel shop in the Valley,” Trevino said, so the opportunity to have any of the 17 kinds of genuine bagels draws foodies Valley wide. “If people find us early in their stay on the island, they are back every day. And some people come here to hang out.” All the sandwiches have New York names, a nod to transplanted and visiting New Yorkers and people from Philly, New Jersey, New England and Canada.
With variations found in handmade bagels, Trevino won’t use a bagel cutter on them, first because they are not uniform and second, a machine could knock off the poppy seeds and other toppings. Trevino laughed about the skills needed to run her business. “The hardest part is cutting the bagel in half. It’s not rocket science. It’s easy and fun.”
To read more of this story by Eileen Mattei, read the July 2015 edition of VBR under the “Current & Past Issues” tab on this website, or pick up a copy on news stands.