Steve’s Bagels Replaces Goldberg’s in Vernon Social

Kat Namon ’22

News Editor

A new addition has been made to on-campus dining options at Trinity. Since the closing of Goldberg’s Bagels in the spring of 2018, the kitchen space in Vernon Social has remained empty. However, this fall 2019 semester, the breakfast and lunch restaurant Steve’s Bagels will occupy the space. The decision to replace Goldberg’s and provide students with another on-campus dining option was made at a forum open to the community regarding potential improvements that could be made to Vernon Social. The Office of Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) led this meeting and spearheaded the decision to make the addition.
Nikia Bryant, Director of SAIL, had a chance to meet with the owner of Steve’s Bagels, Steven DiGiorgio, a University of Hartford Graduate. Bryant said, “[Steven] is excited to be a part of our community. He was very receptive to the idea of hiring students to work for him and showed great interest in developing a service similar to Doordash, where food would be delivered to students’ rooms. During the Vernon open house in July, he also brought copies of his menu so students could see the types of food available at Steve’s. From what I understand, we’ll have a modified version of his typical menu, so, he wanted to know what types of food students would want. He has good, positive energy and I think he’ll make a great campus partner and addition to Vernon Social.”
Dean of Students Joe DiChristina said the decision to bring Steve’s Bagels to campus was made based on student feedback. “Last year, SGA did a survey that came out in December which gave us feedback to bring food back into the location. We talked about Chartwells being able to do it, but, Chartwells was unable to offer anything during the summer when we have a lot of people on campus… Steve’s Bagels offered us 12 months of service, so we could satisfy students during the nine months they are on campus.SAIL held an open house where Steve had a chance to meet with students and get a lot of information about student behavior. This was an opportunity for him to interact with students, which helped him set this all up.”
Vice President of Finance and Operations Dan Hitchell said, “Steve’s Bagels will not be part of the meal plan since it is an outside vendor, but Steve is aware of that issue, so we talked about being attentive to the prices of the food. Steve is aware of our desire to be attentive to prices, especially on the weekend. During Saturday and Sunday brunch time, specials may be offered”
The cafe has a New York deli-style menu, serving options that range from specialty sandwiches and salads to bagels and pastries. The shop’s original location was in Ridgefield, Connecticut and was recently expanded with the opening of a second location in Manchester, Connecticut in 2018. Steve’s Bagels also offers catering and is available for delivery through GrubHub. DiGiorgio hopes to expand his business even further, saying in a 2018 Journal Inquirer article, “to really do well in the business, you have to have multiple stores.” DiGiorgio added that he’d like to be able to open a new location every other year on average. Steve’s Bagels on the Trinity campus is open at the following times: Monday-Wednesday (8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.), Thursday (8 a.m.-6:30 p.m., 8 p.m.-10 p.m.), Friday (8 a.m.-6:30 p.m., 10 p.m.-2 a.m.), Saturday (11 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 10 p.m.-2 a.m.), and Sunday (10 a.m.-6 p.m.). When asked for a comment on the opening of a third location in Hartford on the Trinity College campus, staff at the Ridgefield shop were unaware of the expansion and did not provide comment other than that they had no affiliation with the newest location of Steve’s Bagels. The breakfast and lunch location will be open on Sept. 11 for students.