Bodo's Bagels

A line can be a good thing or a bad thing.

The good thing about a line is that you know the restaurant is popular....the bad thing is that it usually takes forever to get your food.

Bodo's Bagels in Charlottesville has a line.....a very very long one....every single day.

At the location I visited (two days in a row) the line zig zagged inside and then stretched clear outside the door down the side of the building. The parking lot was jam packed and people were parking across the street to walk to Bodo's.

When we first pulled in I couldn't believe the amount of people lining up for.....a bagel? What the heck is this place doing to make bagels this amazing that people are willing to wait this long?

I gladly jumped in at the end of the line and much to my surprise, no one seemed to care that they were standing in line on the outside of the restaurant.

The line was fast. Minutes later I was standing in front of a cashier looking at the simple menu board above his head.

Bagels: 70 cents. Bagel with Egg: $1.55. Bagel Deli Sandwiches: $2-$3

Simple. To the point. Revolutionary. All of the bagels are authentic New York Water Bagels and they come in every type you could imagine. Not to mention they brew fresh ground organic coffee and sell t-shirts for $5.

From the looks of it, this is the place Einstein Bagels wishes they could be. There's only one thing on the menu: bagels....and you can have it any way you want for a very reasonable price

I placed my order for 2 Everything Wheat Bagels with Egg and Cheese, a large coffee, and large unsweet iced tea. Total cost: $8

On the other side of the register employees lay out trays on the counter and place the items on the trays as they are ready. By the way, all of the eggs are cooked fresh on a flat top and put on the bagels (no microwaves here). They called are order, I grabbed my tray and we found a table in the rather plain, yet inviting dining room. From the end of the line to sitting down at my table it was about 10 minutes (this is a speed of service that no other restaurant can seem to accomplish).

The bagel was....unbelievable. It tasted the way you always want your bagel to taste: fresh, moist yet hard and just the right flavor. No wonder people line up outside for this.

Speaking of the line...it didn't seem to end. As we sat and watched, more and more people came. The dining room was packed. Every time a table got up it was immediately filled again.

All this for bagels.

Yet, by now you can agree they're doing something no other bagel place has quite figured out.

They make them fresh. They are affordable. It's simple but with endless combinations. The service is fast and friendly.

It's so simple it almost melts your mind. The worst part about this story is that fact that Bodo's is only in Charlottesville and at this particular moment in time I'm 14 hours away from the bagel my heart desires.

Why can't other restaurants be this cool?