One week from today, Einstein Bros. Bagels will hold a grand opening for 13 stores in the Portland area (the stores were previously Noah’s Bagels and Kettleman Bagel Co. locations that they’ve rebranded).
And, while some local bagel lovers grumbled at the takeover of Kettleman by a national company, perhaps Einstein will fall back into favor by embracing Portland’s love of bicycling. The company announced today that, in conjunction with National Bike to Work Day on May 18th, they’ll give a free bagel (with spread) to every customer who shows up by bike.
To be eligible, you can show them your helmet or the key to your bike lock. Also on the 18th, the Einstein Bros. folks will be handing out free bagels on the Eastbank Esplanade under the Hawthorne Bridge, “for bike commuters to grab a bite on the way to the office.”
In addition to the free bagels, everyone who rides to the store will get a chance to win one of 26 bikes the company purchased from Western Bike Works a Portland-based bike shop. They’ll hold a drawing for the bikes at the end of the business day on May 18th. You might also win prizes by spinning the “Bagel Wheel” at each store.
Find the locations of their Portland area stores here.
Let them eat cake.
Well played, sir.
I’ll take my bike and appetite elsewhere, thank you very much!
I’ll be there. Twice! (I live by a formerly Noah’s and work by a formerly Kettleman’s) I have read all the reports about Einstein’s “takeover” and I have to imagine some of the “anger” has to be directed at the *former* owners of kettlemans, right? Didn’t they decide to sell? This smacks of “imperialist nostalgia” (loving the thing in its romanticized pre-discovery state even while contributing to its take over by demonstrating it is successful) I suppose if you really long for a locally owned bagel, you could start a shop up.
While you have a point re: everyone getting angry at the buyer but not the seller, I think your assessment of their anger is mistaken. Jeffrey, the owner, came to Portland from New York and became the only one in Portland to make “NY-style” bagels, which are boiled, and have a very specific texture (puffy, not chewy). Anyone who knows and loves that style of bagel, knows that it’s not easy to come by outside of NY. Einstein Bros., is a chain that makes bagels that are much like the kind sold in stores, essentially like sandwich bread, but shaped into a bagel. So there’s a difference, and it matters to those of us who love NY-style bagels and will no longer be able to get them.
Why all the hate? Kettleman’s had to agree to the buyout too.
If only they sold actual bagels instead of round pieces of bread.
it’s not like kettleman’s was a new york style bagel anyway
For the record, the Einstein on Broadway sells 3 boiled bagels: Plain, Sesame, and Everything.
And they still taste like carboard.
I’ll take a free bagel any day. Also pretty stoked that they’ll be UNDER the bridge since I always seem to miss out on Breakfast on the Bridge because I head OUT of downtown in the morning, rather than in.
I couldn’t care less about the company, but I avoid patronizing businesses named after fictional characters. Pretty sure there are no people named Einstein somewhere running these stores.
Yeah or I would say, named irrelevantly. The only Einstein I know of is known for PHYSICS, and probably couldn’t make a bagel to save his life, so what’s the point?
Next: Nixon Bros. Pizza; Scorsese Bros. Auto Mechanics
well, see, he was jewish, so undoubtedly would endorse this ashkenazi specialty food. and since he was so smaht, obviously these are better than non-jewish-physicist-named bagels. get it?
would they be there at Hawthorne Bridge by 6.30 am? will they accept tips?
employees no longer are allowed to accept tips
So a business owner decides to retire and sell his successful endeavor and Portlander’s feel the need to direct their anger towards the buyer?
Yep. Sounds about right.
I don’t eat at Einstein, but they are obviously doing something right; 13 stores in PDX don’t come cheap.
Plus 26 bikes purchased from a LOCAL bike shop, not some internet operation.
Who are local…
I guess I can’t expect more than Portlanders being Portlanders.
I think it’s important not to mis-characterize(though useful from a rhetorical standpoint) the ire from customers.
This is like the Stumptown thing. It’s not that people dislike successful business (which is on it’s face a ridiculous statement), Kettleman’s created a business, it was good, they sold it, and hopefully earned a tidy sum. Good for them, this will allow them (like it will allow Sorenson) to maybe invest in creating another local business.
The problem people have with the new company is that they have fundamentally altered the product. A corporations primary responsibility is to it’s shareholders, and extracting maximum value out of their investment. Most people who start businesses, especially making a craft food/beverage consider their primary responsibility is making a great product for their customer. This is a fundamental difference
Which they have every right (and probably good reason) to do.
If the consumer wants to get angry at a business for streamlining their processes and becoming more profitable, then that is their choice. Expecting that business to choose to do otherwise is a little naive.
Sure, I don’t think anyone said that a business doesn’t have the right to do that.
At the same time if the product suffers, which according to some aficionados isn’t even a bagel any longer, and I stop buying said product, and it just happened to be one of my favorites. Then not only do I a right to be upset about it, but my abandonment of an inferior product shouldn’t be mis-characterized as some sort of ant-capitalist vendetta.
Changing a beloved product into an inferior one may be the result of “streamlining” their business, but I think many people are put off by Einstein’s because of the demise of the local aspect of Kettleman’s. I like my money circulating locally and not pulled out by an out of state corporation.
Yep, more power to the founder for making a great business and then cashing out. It’s a shame however that Einstein is going to gut the baking process and make sandwich loaf instead of bagels.
Kind of disappointing too that they place no value on the Kettleman name — they were just buying off a competitor so they wouldn’t have to compete on quality of product.
No Mike, the problem is that their bagels are not good. At least that’s my experience with Einstein when I lived in San Diego years ago. Kettleman’s made a pretty decent bagel. That’s where the anger lies, but I hope I’m proven wrong.
http://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2012/01/30/LA43654
When they took over Bagel and Bagel in my home town, they offered New York Kosher style bagels for quite a while. It seems they are going to not eliminate them from their menu selection here in Portland either.
Kettleman’s and New Seasons all go the route of the classic American business model. I find the attitude and outlook of many of you here to be quite naive. I bet a lot of you shop at Bike Gallery and the Specialized concept store, REI and numerous other large company’s. If you dont like the tooth of the soft “made for sandwich” style bagel, don’t eat it.
the only alternative in this town with any tooth is tastebud
The problem that people have is not with the company, it’s the company’s product. Einstein’s bagels suck. Kettleman’s bagels were good. That’s why people are angry.
The Beaverton store by Freddies @Hwy 217 is not clear if they are participating or not…
I would have no problem getting a free bagel from Einstein’s. I am not sure I would ever pay for one again, though.
You’ll get a roll with a hole, not a bagel. Unfortunately the only place in Oregon to get a decent bagel now is in Monmouth Oregon.
Everyone who gets a free bagel should ask them where their bagels are made, how long it takes to ship them here and if they are frozen along the way. That way you can make an informed decision if it might be better to just eat some styrofoam instead.
I learned about the sale of Kettleman’s from an Oregonian story some time back. That story said that what Einstein’s will be doing with regards to NYC style boiled style bagels Kettleman’s was known for, is paring down the number of selections of the boiled variety Kettleman’s offered, rather than eliminating that style entirely from its offerings.
Generally not being big on bagels or breads, this change doesn’t affect me much, personally, but I’m not enthusiastic to see companies make changes to go on the cheap, which seem likely to be a reason Einstein is showing the door to NYC boiled style bagels.
I will always support local business even if it cost a bit more and is less consistent. Locally owned, where the profit gets recycled into other Portland businesses when spent, not into some fat-cat corporate 1 percenter’s country club membership in the Cayman islands. I’m not bitter, just sounds like it!
With all the ire directed at these corporate “fat-cats”, it is amazing to me that my local Starbucks at Glisan and 12th still has a line almost out the door every morning! Remember, the people working behind the counter do not spend their winters in the Cayman Islands. Kill the business, kill the jobs!
Uh, no – Starbucks is popular in the way McDonald’s is popular: by doing what Einstein is doing here – eliminating competition and saturating markets. Add in massive marketing and branding campaigns to a docile and apathetic public and it doesn’t matter what they sell. Their product is not good, just popular. The cigarette industry taught them well. And if you killed that business (model) people would spend their money elsewhere – hopefully locally and that, in turn, would create more jobs per dollar than any mega-corporation ever would. And working for one of those corporation usually sucks – so don’t pretend you care about the workers behind the counter. You don’t.
Oh, and the “kill the business, kill the jobs” line sounds just like what it is – a blackmail threat. It is popular among corporate apologists.
WOW, Chill out for a sec! Did you get downsized or what? I’m just saying that those people who work behind the counter may want to keep their jobs, even if you don’t want them to. The Starbucks reference is just noting that many people in fact seem to like those products, myself included. If Einstein wants to give their product away to cyclists that seems like a good thing to me. If you don’t like their products I actually don’t give a $#!+, go eat something else.
And no Sherlock, I am not a corporate apologist. I just ride my bike, a lot!
Starbucks has the ability to make a great basic cup of coffee, and does exactly that. That some people don’t like it doesn’t mean it isn’t good. On the downside, extraordinary growth provided the ‘bucks with massive resources to draw on, which it unfortunately used to buy up and obliterate some of the competition and diversity from the coffee shop business that managed to be higher that what itself offered.
Torrefazione Italia had a couple primo shops in Portland…especially good coffee and presentation… . After the ‘bucks bought the small chain of 17 stores up, it soon closed all of them; according to wikipedia, it’s apparently reduced the name to a label on a line of coffee Starbucks sells in grocery stores. Did the same with Seattle’s Best Coffee.
A degradation in quality of service and product is what can happen when a big company swallows up a little company.
It comes down to losing a good Portland bagel, and even the 3 “kettle” style choices are not the same as the as the originals. Corporate food is different then corporate retail goods, at least for me.
Tastbud, Bowery, speilman, Kenny and zukes, and everyone making local bagels, I hope you get new customers that enjoy your bagels.
My favorite is Spielman’s on Division, near Seven Corners. They boil their bagels before baking and finish them with egg white. They use sourdough, and they started their own mother using airborne yeast. The owner called it a Pacific Northwest style bagel, then said they really should call it a SE Division style bagel. Whatever you call them, they’re fantastic.
On that note, I will be pedaling to Spielman’s asap !
egg white?
i will be sure to avoid spielmans and tell others to avoid spielmans. it really irritates me when a foodie establishment opens up in inner se pdx and completely ignores the fact that a huge percentage of the local population are vegan, near vegans, or vegan-friendly omnis.
Oh Portland.
You make me sad spare_wheel.
They won’t get a cent of my money. Their bagels stink. They had an opportunity to build on the phenomenal success of kettleman’s, but decided to go the flavorless, gummy, McBagel route.
Bagel Land on 42nd & Fremont, boiled. After 2:30 pm 6 bagels for $1, best bagels best deal in town. Trust me, I know.
It is Cyclists! Bikers ride harleys not treks and specialized!
So you must like Einsteing Bros. and corporations, but being a Portlander you struggled to find something to complain about in this article. Kudos.
“Hello Portland cyclists. Here’s a free fakel.”
Worst bagels in Portland. A shame what they did to our Kettleman’s. No thanks!
I’m picking up a trailer load of (Hawthorne) Einstein’s day olds for the Lloyd Bike to Work Day party at Oregon Square this Friday, and intend to ask them to pack them in order of MY priorities. Anything boiled comes with me, along with anything else classic like bialys. Next, round bread with a hole. After that, round bread with fruit baked in and a hole. Worst, anything with the word “bagel” in the description that has frosting on it. At least they’re all free, and I’m afraid not all that many people are very discerning.
Did anyone get a free bagel? The PSU store is not participating, and was clueless about the promotion until I showed them the Bike Portland posting.
at the northeast broadway location the deal was not a free bagel but a coupon for something or other, spin the wheel. mine came up free small coffee with purchase. also they wanted your e-mail address to send out a newsletter.