Students in navy blue shirts can be seen scootering around campus late into Thursday nights as they deliver bagels to hungry peers. Toasty Boys, a new business launched last semester, takes orders on their Instagram page and delivers to students on Boston University’s West Campus.
Sophomores Chinda Eleonu and Ilana Basman co-founded the online bagel delivery service. Students who order through the Instagram account, @toastyboysbagels, can choose from an assortment of bagels, including past flavors of plain, everything, chocolate chip and cinnamon glaze.
Since their launch in early 2018, Toasty Boys has been steadily growing in scope and provides an alternative for hungry students in West Campus every Thursday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Eleonu said initially Toasty Boys only delivered to Claflin, Rich and Sleeper Halls but has since expanded to all of West Campus.
“We saw this space where these students obviously wanted something, and it wasn’t provided, so we’re happy to be able to provide that for them,” Basman said.
As a freshman, Eleonu said he realized that he wasn’t eating as much as he should and would often skip meals.
He reasoned that buying a toaster online would solve his problem, but decided to ask a friend what she thought. She encouraged Eleonu to buy the toaster so he could sell food out of it and suggested the name, “Toaster Boy.”
Eleonu said he later took this throwaway idea and ran with it. He began pitching his concept for a student-run bagel delivery service to close friends and acquaintances. Basman, who wasn’t close with Eleonu at the time, said she was initially skeptical.
“At first, even I was like, ‘No way this is gonna work,’” Basman said. “You’re this dreamer who has this idea, but no way it’s going to happen.”
According to both founders, there was “a lot of talk” at the beginning of the process, and a major hurdle was finding people who would take the idea seriously. As preparations for the launch began to intensify, Eleonu said those who were less serious about their involvement made room for others with an ambition to see his idea become a reality.
After a laborious fall semester was spent on research surveys and creating the perfect logo, Eleonu said Toasty Boys was ready to launch in the spring.
Currently, the business is run by a rotating crew of delivery boys, assembly workers and Toasty Boys affiliates, such as a company photographer and graphic designer, according to Eleonu. He reported all operations are overseen by him and Basman, who serve as CEO and COO, respectively.
Regarding their inventory, Eleonu said the company goes to great lengths to get the highest-quality bagels. Currently, they order almost exclusively from Bagel World in Reading, but Eleonu said some of their more coveted bagels, such as the cinnamon glaze bagel, come from Kupel’s Bakery and require more effort.
“When they have it, I get there early in the morning — first one there when the shop opens at six in the morning. I get my dozen, two dozen, and then I’m out,” Eleonu said.
According to Eleonu, Toasty Boys’ $5 bagels are now available across all West Campus and have been gaining momentum within the first few weeks of this semester.
Reece Bordick, a freshman in the Questrom School of Business, has ordered bagels from Toasty Boys for the last two weeks.
“I can’t say enough good things about Toasty Boys,” Bordick said about ordering the service.
He said he was especially impressed by the “personableness” of the people behind Toasty Boys and those delivering the bagels.
“There is nothing more comforting to know that they’re always there for you,” Bordick said.
Eleonu and Basman said they have been hard at work over the summer planning for this school year and are very excited to keep growing Toasty Boys.
“The big picture is that we want everyone in BU to be able to have access to Toasty Boys,” Eleonu said.
Plans for Toasty Boys operations in other residence halls, such as Warren Towers and Myles Standish Hall, are in the works and should be expected to come out at some point this year.
In a message to students outside of West Campus, Basman said, “Tell them not to worry, we’re coming.”
Great to see an Emery Alum hard at work!!! Great job!
Emery Journalism