Einstein's pushes beyond bagels for success

By Carol Meres Kroskey, baker-editor

Contents
Bagels are still number one
Expanding selection keeps customers coming
Fancy-schmancy catering keeps bakers busy
Coffee complements the bagel menu

There are few bakeries that could truly be called "national," but the Golden, Colo.-based Einstein Bros. Bagels chain is surely one of them. The company, which helped to popularize the product that used to be strictly a specialty item, brought bagels to customers who resided outside old industrial cities where they were traditionally found.

James Norton, general manager of one of Indianapolis's Einstein bakeries, points out one of the reasons the company has outlasted competitors in recent years. "We've tried to create a 'neighborhood bakery' feeling," he says, "with an atmosphere kind of like 'Cheers.' Our employees get to know our customers, and they contribute to that 'family' feeling in a big way. As a result, each store has its own personality, not just because of the different layout and decor, but also because of the friendly atmosphere created by our staff."

Of course, a look at the company's signage shows that it has tried to create a friendly, personal approach from the exterior to the interior. For example, the company mascots are cartoon characters named Melvyn and Elmo; their mugs adorn the boxes and bags customers carry out of the store. Customers who want coffee belly up to the bar that features Melvyn's Darn Good Coffee. And a variety of signs and table tents use informal language to tell customers about new products and services, or encourage them to try old favorites. For example, customers who need to have an event catered or to buy in bulk can order from the company's "fancy schmancy catering" menu.

Bagels are still number one
Naturally, the best-selling products are bagels, and most of the company's sandwiches still are made on them. Einstein's bagels are well-suited for sandwich-making because their softer crust and crumb mean that fillings will stay in the sandwich, not ooze out onto a customer's lap. The crust characteristics are the result of the company's baking process, which involves steaming the bagels in a rack oven, instead of boiling them, as is traditional.

Because Einstein's is a national chain, customers expect consistency in the bagels, no matter which store they visit. In addition, locations in high-traffic areas don't allow much space to be devoted to bagel production. As a result, the company has developed a commissary-based approach to dough and food preparation. The bagel doughs are mixed and formed at a central plant that has contracted to make the bagels to Einstein's specifications. The bagels then are frozen to be shipped to the individual stores, which have walk-in freezers. Based on sales patterns, which are tracked by the store's computer, the bakers pull the dough varieties in the number of units projected to be sold the following day, and place them in a walk-in to thaw and begin slowly proofing. Then, the finishing touches are put on the bagels before they're proofed and baked. Plain doughs turn into a myriad of baked bagels when the bakers add seeds or other toppings before proofing and baking. Other varieties, such as blueberry, whole wheat, banana walnut, etc., are mixed as individual doughs, then sent to the stores in the numbers projected to sell.

Naturally, bagels sell well in the morning as a breakfast item, James says, so the bakers come in at 4 a.m. to get ready for the store's 6 a.m. opening. But the store also has fresh bagels all day long. "We general managers can regulate the varieties that are available," he says, "so we normally keep backups in the retarder to fill in the displays throughout the day. We can have as many as 23 different varieties, including specialties such as orange-mango, pumpkin or ginger bagels for the holidays, but we try to keep the list manageable by paring it down to the most popular bagels."

That's important because the bagels only have a 4-hour holding period. As a result, bagel-baking takes place all day, so even the last few customers of the day have a relatively good selection of bagels. "On average, we have about six dozen bagels left at the end of the evening," James says, "but we don't want to run out before the store closes."

Customers know that the bagels are fresh, because they keep hearing the baker call out "hot bagels" periodically, as he pulls another rackful from the oven. The bagel alert serves two purposes: not only do customers know fresh bagels are on the way, the store employees also know they need to be careful when approaching a rack that may not have cooled down from the oven.

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Expanding selection keeps customers coming
There's a lot that can be done with bagels, thanks to the variety of fillings and condiments that come from the central commissary. Meats and cheeses are sliced and scaled for portion control, then are delivered to the store so the sandwiches can be assembled quickly for fast service during busy periods. Spreads like flavored cream cheese or hummus are mixed in bulk, but also provided in scoops for portion control. Currently, the store also offers pizzas made from bagel dough. The bagel dough is rolled out thin, then topped with sauce, shredded mozzarella and some herbs and spices. Some individual pizzas also get a few pepperoni slices. These pizzas can be baked at the same time as the bagels, but have to come out of the oven a few minutes before the bagels have finished baking.

"A Chicago bagel dog has also been pretty popular," says James. "Originally, we used an onion bagel dough, but we've switched to the plain dough. We wrap the dough around an all-beef kosher hot dog, then top it with asiago cheese and either sesame or poppyseeds. Because it's wrapped with a 4-oz. serving of bagel dough, the bagel dog makes a good meal."

Einstein's has branched out recently into focaccias and flatbreads made from a special bread dough."We brush on olive oil and add some herbs before we bake the focaccias," James explains. "When we stretch that dough out fairly thin, we can make a flatbread that stays soft, while giving our customers different flavors to choose from." Flatbread choices include asiago cheese with rosemary, and a peanut-sesame seed combination. The bakers also make some baguettes for sandwiches, and James notes that Einstein's corporate research and development department is working on adding more breads so the units can offer items like soup served in bread bowls.

While some Einstein's units offer prepackaged self-service salads, the Indianapolis unit offers fresh salads mixed in plastic bins, then packaged in small plastic containers to fill individual customer orders.

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Fancy-schmancy catering keeps bakers busy
As many retail bakers do, Einstein's does offer some product to wholesale accounts, but James notes that it's a small part of his unit's business, and the bagels aren't sold under the Einstein's name. Instead, he prefers to encourage special orders and larger purchases, such as the company's "bagel packs " that combine bagels and spreads in an easy-to-carry cardboard container.

The catering menu offers almost all of the same products that can be found on the menu board. Sandwiches are arrayed on trays for an attractive self-service presentation, while sweets, such as muffins and cookies, also can be arranged on trays for office breakfasts, brunches or lunches, or for parties and buffets. While the shop does have backup dough available, the catering menu does ask for 24 hours notice, so the store won't be shortchanged if a large order comes in.

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Coffee complements the bagel menu
To keep the service speedy, customers serve themselves beverages, and can have refills while they're in the store. Besides the usual assortment of soft drinks, the coffee bar offers a variety of different coffees to meet varying customer tastes and to keep the selection fresh and interesting. "We usually have at least one flavored coffee," says James. "For example, in the fall we offer chestnut roasted coffee, and at Christmas, we have vanilla cinnamon hazelnut. But one of our customers' favorites comes around at St. Valentine's Day, when we have chocolate cherry kiss coffee."

Besides the flavored coffee, the self-service coffee bar features are least four other varieties. Colorful signs mounted on the coffee warmers explain the variety and origin of the coffee, allowing customers to choose the hot beverage that fits their mood--or their need for caffeine--that day. The company also offers an insulated cardboard container that holds and dispenses hot coffee, so customers can bring it to the office along with their bucket of bagels without worrying about carrying or spilling individual cups. The sales employees make sure there are adequate amounts of cups, stirrers, sugar packets and creamer to allow the coffee drinkers to make their brew to their taste.

Although purists may stress that bagels need to be boiled, the popularity of Einstein's bagels proves that there was a niche to be filled. The lines of customers who make a stop at Einstein's part of their daily routine show that the company's approach is paying off.

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Carol Meres Kroskey, baker-editor at Bakery Online, is the award-winning, former senior baker editor of Bakery Production and Marketing magazine. Her baking experience includes stints at various retail, hotel and supermarket bakeries as baker and pastry cook. She also spent several years as an experimental baking technician for the American Institute of Baking and as a test baker at The Long Co., a co-op for independent wholesale bakers. Carol can be reached at carol.kroskey@prodigy.net