Free Coffee at Redhouse Bagels on Thursday

One bite out of a shipped bagel, and Rich Redhouse knew that if he wanted to provide customers with a good product, he was just going to have to do it himself.

"I was helping a buddy who had opened a deli down the shore," said Redhouse. "We shipped the bagels in from a supplier, and they were horrible."

The pair traveled up to Rhode Island to meet another friend who offered to give them a crash course on baking their own bagels. They returned to Long Beach Island, and soon after had branched out to a few more locations.

Armed with the knowledge and a perfected technique, Redhouse wanted to take his talents back to his hometown of Bensalem and opened his own restaurant on Bristol Pike.

Just 15 years later, Redhouse Bagels is still going strong and has even branched out to a second location in Audubon, N.J., and a mobile lunch truck at the Neshaminy Interplex in Trevose. There's even talk of franchising the business.

"We're in the early stages of working out the legal stuff, but we're excited that it's on the way," said Redhouse as he showed off some office space located above the shop.

This week marks Redhouse Bagel's 15th anniversary in the business, and Redhouse plans to celebrate the occasion in style. Thursday, June 6, marks the restaurant's precise anniversary, and free coffee and t-shirts will be given out to the customers.

The real party starts Saturday morning with a big celebration featuring live music and a visit from frequent customer Ricky Bottalico, former Phillies pitcher turned baseball analyst.

"He's going to be signing autographs from 7:30 a.m. to 11," said Redhouse. "Then, we're going to try and get him behind the grill and start cooking up some food for everybody."

According to Redhouse, thriving in a region with countless bagel options comes from a combination of fresh products, good pricing and building a loyal customer base.

"It's been amazing to see these kids that first came in with their parents, and know I'm watching them go off to college," said Redhouse.

Keeping the baking in-house allows Redhouse to get creative with the recipes. He has established at least 22 varieties including cranberry, pumpkin and chocolate chip, plus a new one still in the experimental phase.

"We're working on the bacon bagel recipe," said Redhouse. "It's not there yet, but it will be, because everything is better with bacon."

Redhouse Bagels is located at 1542 Bristol Pike, Bensalem. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 5:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sat. 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sun. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, call (215) 244-0776 or visit the website.