Munch A Mania
By: Marlee Zanna
Every day at 4 a.m. the alarm clock buzzes and their feet hit the cold floor. By 4:30 a.m. Gordon and Mary Taggart are at the deli washing produce, refilling the drink containers and preparing an abundance of breakfast and lunch options for the day.
“Gordon makes the coffee, fills the tea and cuts the ham,” Mary says. “I wash a whole case of romaine lettuce every day and rinse it four times. I make egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad.”
From 4:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Gordon and Mary are on their feet serving others.
“The reason you come here is because Gordon and Mary are such great people,” Vic Cegles, former Arizona State associate athletic director says. “They work their tails off trying to make a business and you have to respect that…they know and care about everybody.”
As you drive to 2090 East University, your stomach growls the closer you get to Munch A Mania. You start dreaming about the sliced chicken breast, melted American cheese, fresh avocado and the creamy magic sauce hitting your pallet.
You pull into the parking lot and find the only door with color. You swing open your car door, pull open the silver door handle to the deli–that is sandwiched in a strip mall between Artist Express and a fine German kitchen shop–and waiting for you on the inside is a familiar face.
Gordon welcomes everyone with a handshake or high five, greeting you by name. Gordon and Mary know the name of your children and ask how your family is doing and how your job is. They know what sandwich is your favorite, what you do not like, and they do it all with intention.
For 25 years, a plethora of people have scuffled across the floors at Munch A Mania and have spent hours sitting in the soft cushioned, aluminum barred chairs, discussing the past, present and future, while the smell of fresh bread fills their nostrils.
Munch A Mania has become part of a daily routine for many. Every day at 6:45 A.M, the same group of men file in, sit at the biggest table, order their usual and their day begins.
Wide windows illuminate the room as people slowly fill the 32 chairs throughout the day. Benny, the cook of 21 years, stands behind a five-foot wall, creating masterpieces for all to enjoy.
For generations, kids have grown up within those walls and now they are bringing in their own children to share the tradition. Countless relationships were formed here and it has been a fortress of solitude from the outside world.
In life, all anyone desires is to be appreciated. To be remembered, to walk into a room and be met with a smile and to be asked the simple words, “How are you doing today?”
Munch A Mania has embodied what it means to humanize every person that walks through the door.
The Golf Channel fills the background noise as you glance up at the wide, color-coordinated, hanging menu that offers: breakfast, cold sandwiches, hot sandwiches, salad, beverages, sides and desserts.
The maroon and gold painted walls are cluttered with Sun Devil memorabilia, showing off the star athletes and coaches who stop by and make it a priority to get their hands on one of the 68 sandwich options.
Signed photographs from the ASU golf, baseball, football and softball teams smile down on you and the enclosed baseball cards that hang on the left wall intently listen to every story told.
What makes Munch A Mania so special? It is simple, the owners Gordon and Mary.
“They’re a huge part of my childhood (and) I will never forget that the rest of my life,” Arizona State right fielder Kai Murphy says. “They have treated me like a king ever since I was a kid for no reason at all. They love my father and I can go into a place like this and know that I am going to be treated so well.”
Gordon found the 1500 square-foot space in the newspaper, made a bid and envisioned an opportunity to connect with people and build a second home for everyone.
“Hardest aspect was the unknown,” Gordon says. “(But) I had confidence we could do it.”
What used to be an empty, delivery-only deli is now a room full of life, laughter and traditions.
“They built (their legacy) on being authentic and really giving a darn about how people felt when they came in there,” Pat Murphy, major league bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers says.
“They made me feel special, they made me feel wanted (and) they are incredible people.”
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For years, Gordon and Mary have been strong supporters of ASU athletics, but their love grew thanks to ASU baseball head coach Pat Murphy, who coached the Sun Devils from 1995–2009.
In 2002, Pat walked through the door and sat at the high table closest to the door with associate athletic director Vic Cegles.
“I was looking for a place to have a private meeting, with (Cegles), where we wouldn’t run into anyone we knew,” Pat says. “Vic (said), ‘Hey I have this place way down University, and no one from ASU would be in there.’ (When) you are the head baseball coach at ASU, you like to take a break. You want a place to go where you can be yourself and not really be “on.”
Pat and Vic sat at the high table, when Gordon caught wind that Pat was being recruited to coach Hawaii. Gordon proceeded to walk over and started their relationship by saying, “I would have worn a hula skirt if I knew you were coming in.”
On subsequent visits, Pat would drive over to Munch A Mania to get his daily dose of Gordon and Mary banter.
Come season time, Pat would give Gordon a list of pregame meals the boys wanted and this tradition became a staple for ASU athletics.
“I consider it one of my safe havens,” Pat says. “It holds such a special place in my heart…their authenticity, their consistency — they epitomize what it means to get up and perform every day.”
From surprising Gordon and Mary with a truck full of new sturdy chairs–to replace all the original plastic lawn chairs in Munch A Mania, to Pat convincing customers Wednesday was free Snicker Bar Day, from Benny playing catch with seven-year-old Kai Murphy, to four hour talks after the deli shut down, Pat and Gordon have built a relationship that will last a lifetime.
“We will be friends for life,” Pat Murphy says. “It has been (that way) since the moment I met them.”
Eventually, more Sun Devil staff members, other athletic teams and ASU students heard about Munch A Mania and they had to check it out for themselves.
The rest is history.
“Some of our best friends we met because of this place,” Mary says. “We have been really lucky over the years.”
For ASU baseball players Joe Lampe and Ryan Campos, Munch A Mania has become a pattern and a necessity in their everyday routine.
“We have literally gone in there every day this semester,” Lampe says.
After losing six of their first nine games of the season, the boys were determined to find the right formula for a win. What was the first step? Finding a game-winning meal.
“(Campos) and I would go through the whole menu trying to find which meal has a win it,” Lampe says. “Ryan and I would switch off but we settled for the All-American Breakfast…we would always make him switch it up whenever we lost.”
“If (we) had a rough game or a rough day, we knew we could never get that (meal) again,” Campos says. “It was a big thinking process…we had to pay attention to what we ordered.”
Whether someone is coming from a bad day at the office, the field, the golf course or school, Munch A Mania hugs you with a sense of comfort.
You feel as though you have a part in the deli’s long history. In a room full of people, Gordon and Mary act as if you are the only person in the room.
“I look forward to going there every day,” Campos says. “The food there is amazing but I mainly go there to be around them…Gordon loves everything about ASU (and) I love them.”
After 25 years of giving to the community in Tempe and the ASU family, the final weeks of Munch A Mania lingers. The open sign will dim, the Golf Channel will be silenced and the chairs will be stacked.
The time has finally come, where Gordon and Mary sign off and ride into the sunset.
“I kind of thought the day would never come,” Kai says. “But I am glad that they are moving on and doing what they want to do.”
Pictures will be taken off from the hooks they hang on, slowly accumulating dust and fading, but the memories will stay fresh and last forever.
What has Munch A Mania meant to you? What have you learned from Gordon and Mary?
They taught everyone: a smile can turn a bad day into a good day, be intentional with everything you do, take time out of your day to get to know people and be curious, longevity is the key to success, be your authentic self and show compassion, let your heart lead you and invest whole heartedly in all relationships.
“You think it gets better than this?” Gordon says, “It doesn’t…thank you for letting (us) know you.”
