 "Photo:")
Every weekend around 2 a.m., Miami University students pour out of the closing bars and flock toward Oxford's most notorious restaurant, The Bagel and Deli Shop. The smells of steamed bagels entice intoxicated passersby from the streets, leading them into a shop exuding personality. The Grateful Dead's teddy bears dance across the walls of the deli alongside Time magazine covers dating back to O.J. Simpson's murder trial. But what stands out the most are the 50 plus bagel signs hanging behind the counter. Shouts of "M.I.L.F," "Tonya Harding" and "Messy Katie" fill the air, signifying the inebriated customers' bagels of choice. It is these bizarrely named bagels and accompanying signs that have contributed to Bagel and Deli's success in Oxford for the past 34 years.
Bagel and Deli opened in 1975. It was founded by Ned Stephenson, an Oxford native who wished to run a simple but delicious deli. However, in the '80s after facing financial issues, Stephenson decided to revamp his shop. He switched from subs to steamed bagels but what changed everything was when a restaurant evaluator suggested that Stephenson name his sandwiches.
Twenty-one years later the named sandwiches have taken on a life of their own. With nearly 2,000 bagels sold a week, they're no longer named by the owner, but rather by obsessed customers.
"People come into the shop all the time saying that they have the best idea for an amazing new bagel and ask how they can get their own sign up on the wall," said Lindsey Scott, a Miami University senior who has worked at Bagel and Deli for nearly two years.
Anyone can come into the shop with an idea for their own bagel creation; all they have to do is have an original combination and make their own sign to be hung up. However, just because all signs are accepted doesn't mean that they obtain a coveted spot on the wall.
"Basically, Ned decides if they suck and if he doesn't hate them he puts them up," Scott says. "Sometimes they're only hung up for a day or so before we add them to the reject pile; the competition has gotten fierce."
The shop receives roughly120 submissions a year, making it all the more difficult for new bagels to outshine the old. Signs only stay hung up if they gain a following and become big sellers. A lucky few have been on the wall for more than17 years. Iconic bagels like the "Salty Hor" even have sweatshirts made in their honor, establishing their place in Bagel and Deli history for years to come. For many, walking though The Bagel and Deli Shop's infamous door, pushing and shoving their way to the counter and ordering a "Mr. Turkey," is a momentous occasion. But for the privileged few whose creations actually grace the walls, it is something much more. They know they aren't just a part of the legacy, they are the legacy.
