Donuts, Coffee, and Labor Day
When people call up The Kingsbridge Donut Shop in the Bronx to place an order, they are often met with a simple greeting: “coffee shop.” It’s confusing to an outsider’s ear, as the shop’s name would indicate that donuts are its driving feature, but “coffee shop” is a far more accurate description of the casual, communal feel of the place. Manager Fernando Rodriguez who, like his workplace, goes by a local nickname “Junior,” first came to work at the eatery part-time when he was sixteen. Now, at 33, he’s a fixture in the fast moving corner shop that serves up far more than coffee and donuts, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This Labor Day was no exception to the shop’s usual schedule — though holidays, Rodriguez mentioned, sometimes do prompt an early closing by an hour or two. Roughly 1 in 5 Americans are also on their usual schedules come the first week of September, so Rebecca Clark-Callender headed out to the Bronx to talk with Rodriguez about his time at the shop, what keeps him there, and what he would do on the holiday if it actually extended the weekend, instead of simply beginning the week.
Listen to the full interview here:
https://soundcloud.com/theblueprint2950/donuts-coffee-and-labor-day
