Angela Vandusky is hoping to create some buzz around her Bainbridge business.
Vandusky launched Mr. Bee’s Bainbridge Deli at 1 Freiot Ave. in late October 2023.
“We just moved here to Bainbridge from Norwich,” she said, noting that, while she moved to New York about three years ago, her husband is from the area. “I actually owned Snookie’s in Afton, then I wanted a dine-in (space). So, when the owner of the building called and said, ‘Do you want this spot, I said, ‘yes,’ and jumped on it.”
Vandusky said Mr. Bee’s, named after her son, Bentley, offers “family, homecooked meals.”
“We do burgers, tacos, chicken; we do Philly cheesesteaks; we do cold subs and I have Boar’s Head meats,” she said. “We do hard ice cream and soft-serve and I do mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and everything I do is homemade, not frozen. I bread my own mozzarella sticks and onion rings and my french fries are fresh-cut and the chicken is all hand-breaded.
“It’s lunch and dinner, and I do offer breakfast if people come in and ask for it,” Vandusky continued. “I basically offer anything and, if you don’t see it on the menu and it’s something I can make, then I make it.”
Vandusky, who said she previously worked as a McDonald’s manager, said her tacos and cold subs have proven especially popular, along with themed daily specials.
“We have a lot of specials,” she said. “Like, today is Taco Tuesday, so we do three tacos for $5.50, and normally that’s $8. Wednesday is Wing Wednesday, and they’re 75 cents for bone-in or boneless. Thursday is Thirsty Thursday, and, for any purchase of any sandwich, hot of cold, you get a medium milkshake. Friday is Fry Day Friday, and that’s free fries with the purchase of any sandwich, hot or cold. Saturday is Slider Saturday, and it’s buy two sliders, get two free. And for Sub Sunday, it’s buy one, get one half off.”
Mr. Bee’s is closed Mondays.
Vandusky said customers represent a mix.
“I’ve had Afton and Bainbridge people, and I’ve had ones coming from out of town for festivals, so it’s all over,” she said. “We have an outside patio and (dine-in tables) and a couple picnic tables.”
Diners, she said, have been enthusiastic, though she hopes to grow offerings and cultivate a “more restaurant-type” atmosphere.
“So far I’ve gotten all good reviews, and I’m hoping to get more people in,” she said. “I’m hoping to do a wider selection of ice cream and get more selection of deli meat. I want to expand my deli meat and stay with Boar’s Head, but offer Thurman’s and others.”
Vandusky, who runs the deli by herself except when the restaurant’s 10-year-old namesake helps out, credited customers with keeping her passionate.
“I like the people,” she said. “The people keep me going, and, of course, it’s for my kids. I want my 10-year-old to have something when he gets older.”
For more information, find “Mr. Bee’s Bainbridge Deli” on Facebook.