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Craving the sensation of washing down a crunchy bagel with some delicious nitro coffee? Then check out Bagel Bar, a highly-acclaimed franchise that, after immense popularity in its first location, is now open at 11 Thompson St. in downtown Winchester.
Founded by charismatic entrepreneur, bagel-lover and Arlington native Michael Toulopoulos, Bagel Bar was first based out of a small space in Burlington, too small to accommodate a traditional restaurant-style business.
However, as Toulopoulos pointed out, it turned out to be perfect to accommodate a “bagels and coffee”-style restaurant — something that was much needed in the surrounding Burlington community.
Bagel Bar opened up on Cambridge Street in Burlington in February 2020 — in hindsight one of the worst times to open up an in-person business because just one month later, the entirety of the U.S. (and world, for that matter) went into lockdown with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just as we were getting stocked up and trained and ready to get the doors opened, our indoor seating was completely shut off,” Toulopoulos said, of the timing.
Facing a newly launched, small business, Toulopoulos and Bagel Bar were forced to adapt or risk going out of business. As soon as Americans began hunkering down at home, the restaurant transitioned to online ordering. In doing this, Bagel Bar opened up and made heavy use of a mobile app where patrons could order products from home.
Being a multi-business owner, with a separate full-service restaurant under his belt that took a tremendous hit during the pandemic, as well as a liquor store in Burlington, Toulopoulos said the COVID era was a time of great stress.
“We really didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I had to be there from open to close…it forced us to expedite the online ordering aspect of the business, which we were going to hold off on and it helped us maintain our business.”
In a time when many small businesses were struggling to stay afloat, Toulopoulos’s ingenuity and dedicated leadership helped him avoid closing.
The restaurant’s transition to third-party delivering apps not only helped it stay open during the pandemic, but also proved to be an advantage for it moving forward.
Winchester location
So what can you expect when you step inside the new location?
“Bagel Bar has done its best to keep the menu streamlined,” Toulopoulos said, adding the restaurant, expectantly, centers almost all of its products around the bagel.
This includes options like sandwiches, eight to nine different bagel spreads and cream cheeses for customers and has the mission to offer Winchester residents a unique New York-style bagel experience.
Toulopoulos added branching out into different areas might also serve to be a positive business move.
Bagel Bar has already partnered with HealthyNut, a small business in Wakefield, and sells their trademark protein-packed product “Protein Balls” in its Burlington location.
The business also makes its own muffins in addition to bagels, and has actively been working to expand the variety and quality of the beverages they offer to customers.
Recently, Bagel Bar partnered with a Wakefield-based coffee company called “Crown Coffee,” that has provided it with a signature flavor known as “Mudslide Bean,” which has flavor infused into the coffee beans themselves.
Aside from that, on the menu are a diverse array of beverages, ranging from nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee on tap to kombucha.
Since many in Winchester are familiar with Bruegger’s Bagels, how does Bagel Bar plan to compete?
“I think that anybody that offers coffee and bagels is competition,” Toulopoulos said. “The way we differentiate ourselves is our propriety of taking care of our customers and ensuring exceptional customer service. I would like to say that our process and menu items are distinctly different from Bruegger’s and we provide a unique experience for customers.”
Aimed at fostering a strong connection with the surrounding community at its first location, Bagel Bar’s made it a mission to hire an all-local staff, and was extremely successful. It now aims to do the same in Winchester, hoping to bolster the consumer experience it offers locals and promote the brand amongst the town from day one.
The store officially opened its doors with a grand ribbon cutting ceremony on July 17.
