From Toasted to Thriving: Real Talk from Bagel Shop Owners on Building and Growing a Better Business
Bagel shops have never been more popular, but for the owners behind the counter, thriving takes more than delicious dough—it’s about grit, adaptability, and community. At Bagel Fest, moderator Karen Bornarth, Executive Director of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, brought together a powerhouse panel: Josh Pollack (Bridge & Tunnel Restaurant Group, Rosenberg’s Bagels – Denver), Bridget Odachowski (Holy City Bagels – Charleston), and Ben Suh (Between the Bagel – New York City). Together, they peeled back the curtain on what it really takes to run (and grow) a successful shop today.
From Passion Projects to Brick-and-Mortar Realities
For many, the journey starts as a passion fueled by childhood memories or a craving for hometown comfort food. Bridget’s husband, Greg, began rolling bagels after learning entirely from YouTube—first for Charleston’s farmers markets, then with a retrofitted food truck. Bridget, with 20 years in fine dining management and a law degree to boot, jumped in to bring operational structure, eventually helping turn the dream into Holy City Bagels’ booming storefront.
Ben Suh of Between the Bagel told his own origin story, explaining how persistent experimentation, mistakes, and a love of connecting with customers gave birth to hits like the Soul Meats Bagel—a bulgogi, egg, and cheese sandwich that went viral after local hype and even a Reddit post. “Weekends are 30 to 45 minute waits just for one sandwich,” he shared, proving that word-of-mouth and genuine quality still win in the end.
For Josh Pollack, family heritage and nostalgia sparked Rosenberg’s Bagels. “Bagels... are part of my soul. Until I left [the area], I didn’t realize how important it was to me.” Starting with traditional recipes and even recreating New York’s water chemistry, Josh focused on authenticity while steadily expanding from a single shop to a multi-unit group.
Facing Unpredictable Challenges (and Turning Them Into Strengths)
Every panelist agreed the ups and downs are relentless—and not just about food. Ben recounted the aftermath of a fire and even a crime in his building, stressing the importance of business interruption insurance and flexibility. “You can’t control everything, but it’s how you respond to it… The biggest challenge I couldn’t have predicted became one of our biggest strengths.”
Rapid growth brought its own headaches. Holy City Bagels opened to lines around the block, only to discover missing or broken equipment and power problems. “There was no way to predict what we would have needed at the time,” Bridget reflected. Putting systems and reliable people in place became critical, a theme echoed by Josh as he centralized production for Rosenberg’s and shifted staff roles away from founder “heroics” to team empowerment.
Numbers, Margins, and the Myth of Viral Demand
On the surface, high demand is every owner’s dream—but panelists warned that “demand doesn’t mean money; sales doesn’t mean money.” Profitability hinges on understanding every cost and running a tight P&L. Bridget credited hiring hospitality-focused accountants for helping Holy City Bagels truly make sense of their numbers: “That place runs without me now—and that’s a goal, right?”
As costs have fluctuated and supply shortages hit (anyone remember the cream cheese apocalypse?), Ben advocated for narrowing your menu: “We just try to keep it really simple.” Josh described how scaling up meant splitting production between specialized teams, buying equipment to automate labor-intensive slicing (even when it hurt to lose some of the “handcrafted” romance), and continually balancing passion versus practicality.
Growth Is Not Just New Stores
Ambitions for new locations exist, but savvy growth today often means diversifying products, pursuing catering, wholesale, or launching packaged goods. Rosenberg’s Bagels began selling frozen bagels, pizza bagels, and smoked fish in retail. Holy City Bagels expanded their catering and wholesale—only after building systems strong enough to run without owners at the wheel.
“Wholesale should be either large or small, but not medium,” Bridget advised, reflecting on the careful balance between risk, cash flow, and daily operational bandwidth.
Delegation, Delivery Apps, and Letting Go
Panelists also tore into the “necessary evil” of third-party delivery apps. Ben warned about DoorDash and Uber Eats—“play hardball” in negotiations, and only stick with providers who offer fair margins. The lesson: you can negotiate, and accessibility sometimes trumps marketing—for the right phase of business.
Letting go extends to staff and day-to-day management. Bridget shared her “glass balls and plastic balls” exercise: glass balls are tasks only she could do; plastic balls can be delegated. “I needed to figure out how to convert more glass balls into plastic balls because... it just felt real to me because I was so in it.” Josh and Ben both spoke to cross-training staff and empowering team members to learn by doing, even if mistakes happen along the way.
Key Takeaways from Today’s Thriving Bagel Shop Owners
Know Your Why, But Stay Flexible: Passion and authenticity are vital, but systems, process, and delegation bring longevity.
Community and Quality Are Everything: Viral posts help, but personal connection and food worth lining up for keep business thriving.
Don’t Be the Bottleneck: “If they need us there to be successful, then we’re the problem.”—Bridget Odachowski
Growth Isn’t Just More Stores: Product innovation, catering, wholesale, and centralized production can be lower risk routes to expansion.
Negotiate and Delegate: From vendors to delivery apps, push for the best deal, and never be afraid to outsource or train others to do what’s needed.
Running a thriving bagel shop takes much more than rolling perfect dough—it demands resilience, creativity, and a willingness to trust both your process and your people. As this year’s Bagel Fest panel proved, every challenge can become the foundation for something deliciously lasting.
Interested? Check out Holey City Bagels (Charleston), Between the Bagel (NYC), and Rosenberg’s Bagels (Denver) for inspiration—and, of course, for a great bagel.