Einstein Bros. is a bagel restaurant with stores throughout the United States. The chain features breakfast foods, mostly consisting of a variety of bagels of different types and flavors. However, although bagels are the obvious menu provision, the store also serves made-to-order sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries and other fresh-baked goods. There is also an array of beverages, including coffee and tea. The menu consists of breakfast and lunch options, as well as a few choices for quick desserts and snacks. The store provides a casual bakery/café environment for its customers.
Einstein Bros. has maintained its position and reputation with its traditional fresh bagel bakery concept. The store has also been described as having a reputation for providing healthy food options. The company has developed its menu to offer breakfast, lunch and specialty options that fulfill the lifestyles and demands of present day consumers who are leaning towards healthier food choices. The Einstein Bros. chain has grown significantly throughout the years through its franchises as wells a through numerous acquisitions. Today, the store has over 325 locations in the U.S. and is still expanding.
History
Einstein Bros. was founded by the corporation Boston Market (known at that time as Boston Chicken, Inc). Boston Chicken, Inc. formed Einstein and Noah Bagel Corporation in March 1995, initially as Progressive Bagel Concepts, Inc. Einstein and Noah Bagel Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc. During that time, Einstein and Noah Bagel Corporation (Progressive Bagel Concepts) acquired three bagel chains, which included Offerdahl’s Bagel Gourmet, Incorporated, Bagel & Bagel, Incorporated, and Brackman Brothers, Incorporated. The first Einstein Bros. location was opened in Ogden Utah in June 1995.
Today’s Einstein Bros. is comprised of a number of prior acquisitions of smaller stores over the years. These stores include Baltimore Bagel Company, Noah’s Bagels and New World Coffee. Baltimore Bagel Company was acquired in 1995 with about 24 stores converted to Einstein Bros. In 1996, thirty-eight Noah’s Bagels stores, initially founded by Noah Alper, were sold to Einstein Bros. In 1998, New World Coffee, initially founded by Ramin Kamfar, purchased Manhattan Bagel. Manhattan Bagel was going through bankruptcy at the time. The resulting company then purchased Chesapeake Bagel Bakery in 1999. However, in the year 2000, Einstein Bros. was experiencing financial difficulties as a result of issuing too many franchisee loans. The company eventually declared bankruptcy and was then taken over by New World Coffee, which purchased the company for $190 million.
In 2014, JAB Holding Company acquired Einstein Noah Restaurant Group. As a result of this acquisition, Einstein Bros. is now under JAB Holding Company. Einstein Noah Restaurant Group still operates as a stand-alone business in the JAB Holding Company portfolio and its headquarters remain in Lakewood, Colorado. To this day, the chain is still a popular restaurant and is visited daily by customers. The chain has numerous locations throughout the U.S., including Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, Michigan, California, Arizona, and Oregon.
Although the menu consists mostly of breakfast food such as bagels and pastries, the stores are open for most of the day. The store hours vary according to location. The opening hours are around 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and the closing hours are between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., depending on the state. Some locations are open on Saturdays and Sundays, while others are not. The restaurant also provides catering service and delivery for its customers upon request. In addition to its popularity, the store has been the recipient of various awards and acknowledgements. For example, in 1999, the company won an award from the Restaurant and Institutions Magazine. The store was also presented with the 19th Annual choice in Chains Award for first place, platinum.
Review
Einstein Bros. serves a wide array of freshly baked bagels each day. The bagels are priced between $1 and $2. There is every type of bagel you could possibly think of: asiago, blueberry, chocolate chip, cinnamon raisin, cinnamon sugar, cranberry, everything, garlic, 9-grain, honey whole wheat, onion, plain, poppy seed, potato, pretzel, pumpernickel, and sesame seed. The establishment also offers delicious gourmet topped bagels, which include apple cinnamon, green Chile, power protein, six cheese, spinach Florentine, and jalapeno cheddar. The store provides a variety of cream cheese toppings and shmears for their bagels such as plain, onion and chive, and smoked salmon flavors. In addition to cream cheese, other toppings include honey, hummus, jelly, Nutella, and peanut butter.
Bagels are not the only items on the menu. The store provides an assortment of egg sandwiches priced at a little less than $5. These include the Santa Fe, southwest egg white, and spinach mushroom and Swiss egg sandwich. The store also offers lunch items priced between $6 and $7. These items consist of signature sandwiches, hot sandwiches, soups and salads. The signature sandwiches include the tasty turkey, nova lox, harvest chicken salad and albacore tuna salad sandwiches. Hot sandwiches include the pizza bagel, the bagel dog and the Italian chicken Panini. Customers also have healthier options such as the spinach and artichoke chicken, green Chile club, and the “thintastic” chicken pesto.
The chicken pesto hot sandwich, green Chile club and the bagels and lox are customer favorites. The asparagus and mushroom egg white sandwiches are also a favorite. Customers seem to like the toppings and shmears as well. The bagels seem to be fresher at some locations than others. The store provides a full list of nutrition and dietary information for its customers who have food allergies or other special dietary needs. The “lighter side” menu provides healthy low calorie choices for guests. The store also provides options for their vegetarian customers. The signature VegOut sandwich is a popular choice. They are also willing to make salads or sandwiches without meat upon request.
The service is generally good and quick for the most part. There is usually a large breakfast crowd in the mornings so there is the likelihood of a little wait. However, most customers tend to request “to go” orders on their way to work or other appointments, so it is imperative that they are not kept waiting beyond a reasonable time. Customers have complained about slow service in some locations. The establishment is considered to be hygienic. The store is casual and provides the option of dining in for guests who want to sit down for a quick bite, as well as an option to order food “to go” for guests who are on the move. The restaurant continues to thrive as an everyday casual bakery store where guests go to grab a cup of coffee and a quick bite.
