Chicagoans bristle at the arrival of big bagel

Chicagoans bristle at the arrival of big bagel

Last week, New York's H&H Bagels officially landed in Fulton Market, marking the third big national chain to enter the Chicago market in recent months — and raising some local hackles.

Why it matters: Chicago's local bagel scene has boomed in recent years, adding to an already strong base of stalwarts like New York Bagel & Bialy and BroBagel.

  • So, for many, the new arrivals appear superfluous at best and carpetbaggy at worst.

    • State of play: H&H, PopUp Bagels and Call Your Mother (CYM) opened this spring in Fulton Market, Lincoln Park and Wicker Park respectively.

  • Each features ropes outside the store to manage lines, which at PopUp led to two-hour waits in the early weeks.

    • Chart: Monica Eng/Axios

  • Supporters of local bagel shops took to social media, deriding PopUp and CYM as "private equity" brands because of their majority ownership by investment firms.
  • Brobagel owner Bill Jacobs got 151K views on an Instagram post urging Chicagoans to support locals after CYM opened around the corner last month.

    • Bill Jacobs thanks people for their support of local businesses outside Brobagel in Wicker Park. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

    What they're saying: "Local businesses are woven into the fabric of our communities," Jacobs, who started making bagels in Chicago with his brothers in 1983, tells Axios. "Supporting our neighbors and giving back are part of who we are."

  • "Private equity doesn't come to Chicago to stay. They come to scale, go public or sell, and move on….We believe in building careers, supporting families, and investing in the people who make our business possible."

    • Pink ropes stand outside Call Your Mother Deli in Wicker Park, waiting to handle the lines. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

    The other side: PopUP and CYM did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but H&H did.

  • Although H&H is owned by former asset manager Jay Rushin, it's "not [private equity] backed and Jay works with a small executive team to grow the business while keeping the brand's original DNA intact, including its longtime recipe and artisanal water bagel method," H&H brand manager Ali Goldberg tells Axios.
  • "While the brand does have a growing national franchise program, the Chicago shop is company-owned and marks a major milestone as H&H brings its classic New York City bagels to the Chicago community."

    • Bagels from Brobagel, Taste of New York and New York Bagel & Bialy. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

    The taste: Monica recently sampled all three newcomers, along with some of the city's oldest and top-rated bagels, on the same day to see whether the newbies were improving the bagel scene.

    🥯 Monica's thought bubble: While some of these bagels were warmer, crispier, saltier, lighter, or denser than others (see chart), they were all delicious in different ways.

    The eggclusive: In response to the bagel dust-up, the Chicago Bagel Authority will launch its new "Private Eggquity" sandwich next week to encourage Chicagoans to buy local.

  • "It's bagels now, but it will be something else down the road," CBA owner Greg Gibbs tells Axios.

    • Your faves: Top recs from readers of our Instagram page. include:

  • Steingold's Deli
  • Zeitlin's Delicatessen
  • R&A Sourdough
  • Taste of New York
  • Holey Dough and Co.
  • New York Bagel & Bialy
  • Gotham Bagels
  • Tilly's Bagel Shop
  • Brobagel