Episode 625: Scaling Scratch-Made Nostalgia: The Story of Jeff's Bagel Run

Restaurant Owners Uncorked

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5d ago 1:01:46

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Wil talks with Jeff Perera, founder of Jeff’s Bagel Run, to unpack a quintessentially scrappy entrepreneurial tale: laid off in 2019, Jeff stayed home with his kids while his wife returned to work, and, prompted by her longing for authentic New York-style bagels, he taught himself to bake from scratch in their kitchen, turning a novice’s sticky-fingered mishaps (including a rescue call to King Arthur Flour’s baker hotline) into a perfected recipe that evoked childhood nostalgia for his wife. What began as porch pick-ups and 20-mile deliveries for four bagels snowballed during the pandemic into home deliveries of 40 dozen a day, farmers-market lines that braved Florida rainstorms, and eventually a first leased storefront in July 2021; by 2025 the brand boasts 24 locations (6 corporate, 18 franchised), a laser-focused “bake fresh, bring joy, build community” ethos, and a franchise pipeline of 141 signed agreements—all while rejecting scalable shortcuts like frozen products or off-site baking to preserve the artisan, open-kitchen magic that turned a love story into a booming bagel empire.

10 Key Takeaways

Start with passion, not a plan—Jeff learned bagel-making purely to please his wife, not to launch a business; the emotional “closed-eyes, transported-to-Long Island” moment proved the recipe’s power.
Do unscalable things early—driving 20 miles for four bagels, delivering porch-to-porch, and trading bagels for toilet paper during COVID built loyalty and refined operations.
Embrace humility and ask for help—calling King Arthur’s hotline, inviting chef Tim Keating to critique kitchen layout, and leaning on mentors accelerated learning without ego.
Niche down ruthlessly—86’d labor-intensive black-and-white cookies rather than outsource them to uphold the “bake fresh” pillar; no freezers, no sandwiches, no toasting—just hot bagels, spreads, and coffee.
Pandemic chaos = opportunity—stockpiled flour, bought a commercial mixer, and leveraged Instagram/DM orders to scale home production to 40 dozen/day while the world shut down.
Franchising preserves community feel—chose franchise model to let owner-operators replicate the intimate, open-kitchen vibe Danielle and Jeff created in store #1.
Hire for cultural & culture fit—early hires came from Instagram video submissions; now stress team chemistry in tight QSR kitchens where “customers can tell” if the vibe is off.
Location is king—target “bagel deserts” in the Southeast/Southwest; repurpose closed Einstein, Starbucks, and bank drive-thrus; prioritize high-traffic Publix-anchored centers.
Morning-only model simplifies labor—6 a.m.–2:30 p.m. operation enables one-shift staffing, owner-operator flexibility, and weekend bonkers volume without late-night burnout.
Give back to earn loyalty—partnering with Give Kids the World, Make-A-Wish, and local schools; community pillar turns customers into advocates and franchisees into neighbors.

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