Pre-Previews

Schmendricks Bagels Starts Small, Models Itself on a Tech Startup

Local bagel pop-up Schmendricks, which has made only a couple of public appearances and which is still a ways away from having a physical storefront, got some national attention yesterday from Bloomberg. The article hones in on the way the operation is starting small, with very low upfront costs, getting to know its market and building buzz in the way a tech startup might. Also we learn about the four partners involved in the operation: Dan Scholnick, a Massachusetts native who decided to fill the Bay Area void when it comes to proper boiled-and-baked bagels; his wife Deepa Subramanian, who quit her job at a law firm to do all the baking; “authenticity officer,” Brooklyn native, and Serious Eats contributer David Kover; and Dagny Dingman. “A big and important customer segment is dissatisfied New Yorkers and East Coasters in general,” says Scholnick.

It’s an interesting story given that none of the partners had any particular food experience before this, besides a longing for a good bagel like they’d only had on the East Coast. “We’re non-bakers who taught ourselves how to do something,” says Kover. They know what not to do, however, when it comes to the flavors — there will be no jalapeno or blueberry bagels, ever… only proper old-school toppings like salt, sesame, poppy, and everything.

So far they’re focused just on morning deliveries to startups and other office clients, and on upcoming pop-up events. They’re operating out of a leased kitchen in SoMa, and you can follow them on Twitter for further updates and info.

As we mentioned earlier, Schmendricks is having a launch party on May 10 at Four Barrel, for which tickets are already sold out. Given that we’ve been hard-pressed to find anything approaching the bagels of our long-ago New York days, we’d have to wager these kids will go far.


Bagel Boutique Rises in Bay Area Using Tech Playbook [Bloomberg]

Schmendricks Bagels Starts Small, Models Itself on a Tech Startup