This is the complete transcript of Brooklyn Water Bagel’s 14-Step Water System — Dan Smith, RTG Ep. 360. Dan Smith is Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Water Bagel.
Episode summary
Dan Smith came to Brooklyn Water Bagel by way of Domino’s Pizza, the Yum! Brands portfolio, casual dining and eatertainment, boutique hotels and fine dining, and finally consulting — which is how he met the brand and why he joined full time at the start of the pandemic. In this conversation he explains the 14-step proprietary water system the company built after discovering it could neither afford nor legally ship New York water across state lines, and why rebuilding the Catskills mineral profile store by store turned out to be a scaling advantage rather than a cost.
He walks through the quality decisions guests never see: non-bromated flour, kettled bagels boiled in that rebuilt water, seeds around the entire bagel rather than half, hand-rolled sourdough, a company coffee roastery buying green beans from South America and Africa, and iced coffee served over coffee ice cubes. He covers the daypart math — 60% breakfast, 40% lunch — the Bagels with Benefits program launched in January, and why roughly 70% of the business is off-premise. On growth, Dan details the 1,600 to 1,800 square foot inline box, the first college campus unit at Nova Southeastern, two drive-thrus under construction, the Brook Lane pickup format, and the five-to-seven-unit territories the brand is signing. He closes on community involvement, Jersey Mike’s as the model, and the sandwich he builds when nobody is stopping him.
Jump to a section
- How Dan Smith Found Brooklyn Water Bagel
- Why the Water Is the Whole Business
- Non-Bromated Flour, Kettled Bagels and a Coffee Roastery
- How a Quality Standard Survives Growth
- Why 40% of a Bagel Shop’s Business Is Lunch
- Bagels With Benefits and the Sourdough Decision
- Why Brooklyn Water Bagel Still Smears Your Bagel For You
- Seventy Percent of the Business Is Off-Premise
- The Bakery Program and the Three-to-Five-Visit Guest
- Twenty Units in Florida and Where the Brand Goes Next
- Footprint: Inline, Campus, Drive-Thru and the Brook Lane
- What Brooklyn Water Bagel Wants in a Franchise Partner
- Why Local Community Involvement Is Not Optional
- The CEO’s Go-To Order and His Off-Menu Build
How Dan Smith Found Brooklyn Water Bagel (0:00)
Jeremy Julian: Welcome back to the Restaurant Technology Guys Podcast. I thank everyone out there for joining us. As I like to say each and every time, I know you guys have got lots of choices, so thank you for hanging with me today. Today we have a brand that’s definitely an up and comer. I’ve kind of seen these guys making their rounds on social and at trade shows and all of it, so I’m excited to hear a little bit more about their story. But before we jump into the brand itself, Dan, why don’t you introduce yourself to our listeners and give a little bit of your background — where did you come from, and a little bit about where you’ve been, before we jump into what you guys have been doing at Brooklyn Water Bagel.
Dan Smith: Yeah, thanks, Jeremy. Thanks for having me today, too. I really appreciate it. My name’s Dan Smith and I am the CEO of Brooklyn Water Bagel. I’ve been in the restaurant business my entire career, and I would say I’ve actually been in all aspects of the business. I started in the QSR fast casual part of the industry, originally with Domino’s Pizza, and spent some time with the Yum! Brands out there, and then got into casual dining and entertainment — eatertainment, I guess we should say — and did that for a period of time, and then sort of evolved into boutique hotels and fine dining and did that as well.
Dan Smith: Along the way I did some consulting. And while I was consulting, I got involved with Brooklyn Water Bagel and just fell in love with the concept. I mean, it’s just a fantastic restaurant concept. I really liked the quality of the products. I liked the culture and the people. And I was asked to join the company full time at the time of the pandemic, and I did so, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
Jeremy Julian: I love it. Talk to me a little bit real quick, Dan — since you’ve been all over the place within the world of restaurants, talk to me about what made Brooklyn Water Bagel unique enough that you said, hey, this is where I want to hang my hat for some period of time. I think you guys have got a unique story, and quite honestly it’s hard to get good bagels in lots of places in the world. I’m originally an East Coast guy and I’m used to having good bagels, and living here in Fort Worth there is one guy that’s figured it out here locally, but he’s an East Coast guy that spent a whole bunch of time trying to figure it out. I’d love to understand what about Brooklyn Water Bagel drew you to say, hey, I want to hang my hat here for a little bit.
Why the Water Is the Whole Business (1:40)
Dan Smith: Yeah, I think it was the focus on quality and the details — that the restaurant concept really encapsulated both of those things together. And I think a lot of people talk about quality, but it is an absolute reality here. And the details. So Brooklyn Water Bagel wants to be able to make an authentic New York bagel wherever we are in the world. And if you are from New York or lived in New York or visited New York, and you have New York pizza or a New York bagel, people say, what’s the difference? Why is this so great? Why is this so unique? And locals will say, it’s the water. It’s all about the water. It’s all in the water. And in fact, they’re right. New York water coming out of the Catskills has a mineral composition that is specifically great for the baking process.
Dan Smith: So at Brooklyn Water Bagel, we said we want to start doing New York style bagels everywhere. We knew we needed to have the water. And originally we looked at shipping water to Florida, which was really expensive. And you actually can’t take water over state lines like that. So we went to a water expert and we analyzed what is unique about New York water. And we created a 14-step proprietary water system that actually filters the water, purifies the water, and adds those New York minerals to give it that success, that strength in baking that regular water in other areas just doesn’t have. So we could really make a New York style bagel. That to me — going through that whole process and being focused on that, so that you can make that really special bagel — is awesome.
Non-Bromated Flour, Kettled Bagels and a Coffee Roastery (4:10)
Dan Smith: And then there’s a bunch of other things. Out of the gates we used non-bromated flour. Other concepts use bromate — potassium bromate’s cancer causing. We kettle our bagels, so we actually boil them so you get a crunch on the outside. We’re boiling them in that water and giving it that extra yard. And even today as we continue to do our bagels, we do special things. Like recently we introduced a line of sourdough bagels. We have to hand roll those sourdough bagels because of the stickiness of the dough, and you’re growing that sourdough and nurturing it every day. And that’s not something you’re finding in other bagel restaurants, because it’s unique. We pride ourselves on being old world artisanal bakers and giving that experience.
Dan Smith: And then it just goes into everything out there. When I said the details part of it — we have our own coffee roastery. We go out and purchase our own coffee beans from South America and Africa, and we roast our own coffee. So we’re not selling a commodity coffee at all. We’re doing it a special way. But when we give you an iced coffee, we actually make coffee ice cubes. So we make coffee ice cubes the way your grandmother used to, on a coffee tray. You have to break them and you put the coffee ice cubes in there.
Dan Smith: But that’s the details, that’s the focus on quality. Anybody could go out and buy commodity style coffee and anybody can pour it over ice and say that’s an iced coffee. With us, you don’t want your iced coffee diluted with regular ice cubes. When our ice cubes are melting, they’re injecting that flavor of coffee into your drink. And it’s special, it’s unique. And nobody else does that because it takes extra time, it takes extra care. That’s the commitment to quality though, and that’s the commitment to the details that make us unique. And it’s why I want to be involved, and I think why our team likes being involved with the concept.
Jeremy Julian: Well, it’s amazing to hear that you guys have gone to that length for something that I don’t want to say is humble, but a bagel’s just kind of a humble meal that a lot of people have. It’s pick it up in New York City or pick it up on the way to work out of a cart on the side of the road. Yes, there’s some fantastic bagels, but at the same time, I look at what you’re saying. Funny enough, I didn’t realize that transporting water across state lines was an issue. We had a customer years ago that was a pizza place on the West Coast and they used to get the dough made in New York and ship the dough and reproof it back on the West Coast, and you could get real, real New York style dough on the West Coast. But it was very much the same idea of, hey, how do I take this and transport it? Because anybody that’s had a true New York well-done bagel, it’s different.
Dan Smith: Yeah, and in that pizza place, they’re going the extra yard. That makes a difference. And the guests can tell that you’ve put that kind of care, that kind of love into your product, and that’s what’s helped us be successful.
How a Quality Standard Survives Growth (7:39)
Jeremy Julian: You guys are, I think, based in Florida. You’ve taken this New York deal — you can find a bagel just about anywhere, but there’s a difference in what you guys are offering. I guess, why go to that length? It’s expensive, it’s hard to maintain, it’s hard to continue to innovate. And I love listening to brands that go, you know what, because it’s worth it. As a leader in the business, how do you continue to enforce that? Because it’s easier to cut corners. It’s easier to be like, we’re not doing this 14-step process to do the water, I’m going to use some of this regular yeast or whatever it is on your sourdough. Why is that such a critical component to the brand and what it is that you guys believe in?
Dan Smith: It is a commitment. And when our team members join the company, that explanation is given to them right out of the gates. We’ve trademarked “it’s all about the water.” We have a water system in every one of our locations out there. So they know that this component is core to what we do. And that allows us to talk about all the other products that we’re doing and why the details make a difference. And you can just tell when you get our bagel and it’s got that nice crunch when you bite in, and it’s got a bit of a chew, a bit of a pull with it — it’s different. We also put seeds around our entire bagel. A lot of concepts only seed half the bagel. We want the guests when they come in to say, wow, that is a special, unique experience, and come back time and time again.
Why 40% of a Bagel Shop’s Business Is Lunch (9:19)
Jeremy Julian: I know you guys don’t just sell bagels, bagels and cream cheese, bagels and butter. There’s more to the bagel offering. I’d love to have you walk through a little bit more of the offering, because unfortunately a lot of places, it’s just bagels, I’m only open in the morning. I know you guys have got some other offerings that help not only transpose to the morning daypart, but some of those other dayparts, to expand their menu offerings and deliver real high quality, not just at the bagel level, but everything else.
Dan Smith: Yeah, sixty percent of our mix is breakfast, but forty percent is lunch. So besides doing bulk bagels and spreads and salads and so forth — like chicken salad and tuna salad that we make fresh daily in our restaurants — besides that we’re making breakfast sandwiches, and we are making deli style sandwiches and melts and so forth on the menu. And we have soup. We have our infamous bagel dog that people love, where we actually take a hot dog and we wrap it with our bagel, and it’s got great flavor. So we have a lot of elements and a lot of things that people can choose from.
Bagels With Benefits and the Sourdough Decision (10:44)
Dan Smith: And we also are trying to meet everybody’s health needs. So we have vegan bagels, we have gluten free bagels, we have sourdough bagels. We’re doing, for those people that really have an active lifestyle, avocado toast on a sourdough bagel — you’re picking up the superfood component that’s really beneficial to you, and you’re picking up the gut health issues with sourdough. So we are concerned about that. We’re focused on those things as well, and I think people appreciate that.
Jeremy Julian: You talked about a newer offering and then the sourdough style. Is that brand new? Is that six months, a year? You guys had something that was working. I’d love to understand what went into that process, because as you’ve been in the restaurant space for a long time, some people try and do too much and it ends up hurting the product. So I’d love to understand for our listeners out there, how did you balance meeting the customer demand where they wanted it, but being able to execute still at a high level?
Dan Smith: Yeah, we introduced our Bagels with Benefits program in January. And that’s when we got into sourdough. But I think there was certainly interest that was growing across the country — people looking at sourdough and participating in sourdough. When Taylor Swift starts talking about making sourdough bread and that’s a part of her every day and how much she appreciates it as part of her diet and so forth, people start to get interested. And we said, hey, let’s get involved in sourdough and see what we could do.
Dan Smith: We were able to create a different type of bagel and a really fantastic bagel. So it’s a little bit more of a crunchier bagel, which I really, really enjoy. But you pick up that sourdough flavor in there, and it’s special. So we did that, but I think we’re always looking at trends and nutritional issues and dietary issues that people have. And again, trying to give people what they want, make our menu part of what they do, without really compromising and going in some crazy direction that makes no sense. A sourdough bagel makes sense. An avocado toast bagel makes sense.
Jeremy Julian: Well, and again, you guys have got Brooklyn Water Bagel on the building. If you guys start serving ribeyes, it’s going to be maybe a challenge. People go, am I going there for ribeyes? Probably not.
Why Brooklyn Water Bagel Still Smears Your Bagel For You (13:14)
Jeremy Julian: What’s the offering? Is it a walk up and you see the bagels? Is it a walk up and grab it yourself? Talk me through the offerings of just the standard bagels, and then how does that fit into the lunch — how do I make a sandwich out of a bagel? I’d love to walk through that menu offering and what the guest experience looks like.
Dan Smith: Yeah, we’re all about service. We’re all about giving you a great full service experience. And maybe you’re touching on this — I know some concepts are out there right now and they’re not going to toast your bagels or cut your bagels or put your cream cheese on your bagel or anything like that. That’s not us. We’re going to do that for you.
Jeremy Julian: It blew me away. I walked into one of those new concepts and I’m like, what? I’ve got to put my own smear on. I’ve got to go cut my own bagel. What is this crap? I’ve got nothing against them — the bagel happened to be pretty good — but it was like, this is a weird experience and I paid just as much as if I would have had somebody help me do it.
Dan Smith: Yeah, and putting a schmear on a bagel, like you just said, Jeremy — that’s heart and soul. That’s part of the bagel experience out there. So yeah, we’re going to make sandwiches for you, we’ll toast your sandwich, we’re going to put your cream cheese on a sandwich, we’ll make a Reuben for you, we’ll make a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich for you, we’ll make a tuna melt for you or a pizza bagel for you. We’re going to do all of those things and make it a special experience for you.
Dan Smith: So you walk in and you get your bagel your way. Somebody’s like, I want my bagel triple toasted. Okay, great. We could do that. I want my bagel scooped — of course, we’re going to do that for you. Some people don’t want the full bagel. You want it scooped? Done deal. We got you squared away. People ask all different kinds of things. We want to take care of the guests and give them an experience. To go, no, we don’t do that, no, we don’t do that, no, we don’t do that — it’s not a great place to be.
Seventy Percent of the Business Is Off-Premise (14:52)
Jeremy Julian: Well, I think that really comes from your background of working in full service and some of these other places that says, no, we’re in the hospitality business and this is what we do. Dan, I’m going to pivot just a couple of minutes. Talk to me a little bit about your off-prem business. The traditional bagel shop is walk up, it’s breakfast, it’s lunch. A lot of our listeners, myself included, have been to lots of different bagel shops. But the one thing I love about bagels is they travel well. They travel well, whether that’s for off site, for catering. They also travel well for delivery and third party offerings. I’d love for you to tell our listeners a little bit about the strategy there, and how do you keep the quality of your product but still be able to deliver? Because oftentimes if you walk in and you’ve got a couple hundred dollars worth of off-prem sales, that helps to bolster that meal period for you quite a bit.
Dan Smith: Yeah, it is critical. And the great news is we’ve spent a lot of time working on it, and the integrity and the quality of those bagels and sandwiches really endure and really go well, especially in a delivery scenario. During the pandemic, it was obviously tough for everybody. We actually had positive sales during the pandemic because of all the interest in the delivery component that we had. So I think third party delivery and first party delivery is a significant part of the business. Carry out is a big part of the business too. About roughly right now, about seventy percent of our business is off premise.
The Bakery Program and the Three-to-Five-Visit Guest (16:26)
Jeremy Julian: Love that. What else have we not talked about about the brand, Dan, that you would want to cover before we talk about how people engage and experience the brand? What are some of the things that might set you guys apart and make it a little bit unique? I love the 14-step water process. That’s amazing. The quality of the ingredients, and how much pride you guys take in what it is that you’re doing. But what are some other things that people might not know when they walk in, even as a consumer?
Dan Smith: I think one of the things they may not know, because they’re going to look at bagels perhaps and say this is really a breakfast focused concept, is how much lunch we do and how great it is from a lunch perspective. A bagel sandwich for lunch is absolutely fantastic and we really have an extensive menu out there. Besides bagel sandwiches, we’re doing wraps and so forth.
Dan Smith: The other thing I would say is we also provide a really fun bakery experience. We make phenomenal muffins. We make great cookies. We make great sweet treats and so forth that people really enjoy. And that adds another benefit out there. The interesting thing is about thirty to forty percent of our guests are really loyal frequent guests. They come in three to five times a week. That’s a really strong heavy user for us. And I think they come in because of all the variety that we provide.
Jeremy Julian: Yeah. I’ve got a long standing relationship with the Cheesecake Factory, and the CEO used to talk about the fact that we’ve got a no-veto rule. Obviously to extend your menu to that level is ridiculous, and those guys do a fantastic job of creating some consistency. But that was his idea — I don’t ever want people to say, hey, I don’t want a bagel today. You’ve got to give them some other offerings. And the fact that you guys are giving them wraps and muffins and other sweet treats makes it really something where you can get something for everybody. The part I love about that as well is, like you said, you’ve got your loyal guests. They don’t always have to come in and get the same thing. They can get something different every time, right?
Dan Smith: Yeah. We talk about that, eliminating the veto vote and taking care of people and their dietary needs. So if you’re telling guests all the time, no, you can’t meet their needs, that’s not a great culture. It’s not great for your people, it’s not great for the guests. We want you to walk in and feel like this is your place, that this is your neighborhood place, where you can connect with your friends and family and colleagues and come there regularly and really feel like you have a special experience.
Twenty Units in Florida and Where the Brand Goes Next (19:04)
Jeremy Julian: Where are you guys at geographically, Dan? How big are you guys? For those listeners out there that haven’t had a chance to experience it, where are you guys at and what’s growth look like for you guys?
Dan Smith: We’ve got twenty locations right now, and we’re strictly in Florida, but we now are expanding past Florida. So we’re expanding in the Midwest and in the Southwest and in the Southeast. And we’re expecting to expand reasonably thoughtfully through all areas, through all regions of the United States.
Jeremy Julian: How have you guys dealt with the supply chain as you’ve expanded out of your core markets? How have you dealt with even the build outs? The water in Fort Worth is likely different than the water in Florida. So does the 14-step water process system function the same way?
Dan Smith: Yes, that 14-step proprietary water system works wherever it is, which is really the cool thing. Once you go through that filtration and that purification, you’re adding those minerals to that purified water, which is also really cool. All that water is in your coffee that you’re drinking with us as well. And we serve you the water if you want as well. It’s purified water, it’s bottled water quality. So that’s in all of your products, and that’s pretty cool. So that is actually a benefit. We have the same water wherever we go. I don’t have to tweak our baking process because of that.
Dan Smith: But we’ve got good national relationships with distributors out there and we are able to really source our products wherever we go. And that’s a good scenario and we’re prepared to do that. And on the construction side, we’ve been building units and we feel confident with the team that we’ve got.
Footprint: Inline, Campus, Drive-Thru and the Brook Lane (20:55)
Jeremy Julian: Talk to me a little bit about the build outs, because I’ve talked to some different guests on the show over the last couple of years that are trying to figure out non-traditional. They’re going to try and figure out rebuilds of a bank, rebuilds of just different inline end caps, drive-thru, not drive-thru. I’d love to talk about what is the footprint that you guys are looking for? What’s an ideal footprint? Or if of your 20, you’ve got a bunch of unique ones and you’re like, hey, we can fit into any of these non-traditional, traditional inline, end caps, even freestanding.
Dan Smith: It’s a great question. So for our typical retail location, we’re looking at about sixteen hundred to eighteen hundred square feet for a location. And most of what we’ve done right now is inline. But just two days ago, we opened up our first non-traditional location on a college campus at Nova in Fort Lauderdale. And it’s been a fantastic experience right out of the gates and a lot of fun. And we definitely have an appetite to do more. I think we’ll expand across additional college locations out there, as well as other non-traditional opportunities like airports that we expect to be involved in, and military bases. So that’s something that we’re excited about trying.
Dan Smith: As well, we’ve got two drive-throughs under construction right now, and we’re excited to see what that does for our business. That’s something new for us. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but we look forward to that. And we also have the pickup business where we have the Brook Lane in a couple of our locations, where you can actually order and drive up and have your order delivered to you and just pick it up and not have to get out of your car. So we’ve done that experience right now in two locations. So we’re going to be focused on providing those opportunities.
Jeremy Julian: I say buckle up, man, buckle up. That’s going to be a different business for you. I can promise you that. I love the fact that you guys are able to repurpose smaller spaces. A lot of people say I need three thousand square feet, I need four thousand square feet. The fact that you guys are coming in at that inline footprint and can do that.
What Brooklyn Water Bagel Wants in a Franchise Partner (23:10)
Jeremy Julian: Are you at liberty, Dan, to talk about where unit economics are at for people that are looking at a franchise, and where you guys see those things at? And if you’re not, I’m totally good with just, hey, we know that we’ve been able to figure out how to make it profitable for the franchisees.
Dan Smith: Yeah, I’d rather get together with those people individually and walk them through that and so forth. But we think — we don’t think, we know we’ve got a really solid economic model.
Jeremy Julian: I love it. Talk to me a little bit about what people need to do if they want to bring a Brooklyn Water Bagel local to their community. You guys talked about where you want to grow. If I’m in Washington State right now, are you guys there? Are you guys all the way on the west coast or is it just growing from Florida out? A lot of people when they listen, they’re like, okay, I need to understand where are they going and where can I fit in if I’m looking to add? And are you only looking for existing restaurateurs that are looking to add to their portfolio, or net new people?
Dan Smith: We’re really targeting what I would say is mid-sized franchisees, and certainly open to some large franchisees as well. But we want people that are experienced operators that have been in this business, that understand this business and know how to operate that business, and also are well capitalized. So that can be a partnership or it can be one individual. But we’re looking at territory sizes of five to seven units. So franchisees that want to grow in that area. So not a onesie-twosie model, but not necessarily a 50-unit model.
Dan Smith: Again, if there’s a large successful operator that operates 100 properties and comes in and is excited about working with us — we’re in a couple of those conversations right now — we would certainly consider that for the right partners out there. I think the key is finding the right partner. People that understand their market, are passionate about their market, are passionate about quality food and execution of quality food, and that culturally we match up well. I think that’s the key component. When that happens, then we certainly are open to expanding across the US, wherever it is.
Why Local Community Involvement Is Not Optional (25:14)
Jeremy Julian: One last thing that I like to ask all franchisors is, how big of a local presence do you guys play in these communities? I continue to talk to people and it’s like, hey, I end up being in the local community, supporting the schools or supporting the soccer teams and the basketball teams or whatever. I’d love to have your thoughts on how impactful is that — or is it, hey, I want to open up five of them, I don’t necessarily need to be in those spaces.
Dan Smith: No, I think it’s very, very important. I’m really impressed with Peter Cancro and what he did with Jersey Mike’s. And I think he really sort of modeled — he was a role model in what he believed. He didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk and really made it part of that company culture to give back to the local community. And I think it’s a great example.
Dan Smith: And as a company, we’re very, very engaged in the local communities and doing everything we can. We’re very involved in the walks for Alzheimer’s. We just did a big Stuff the Bus fundraising for folks that needed school supplies to start the school year. So I’d say year round we try and engage consistently in different events that help the community, that show that we’re giving back to the community and that we care. And I think the community’s been wonderful. They’ve really embraced us on that and come in all the time and show us how much they care. So it’s good for everybody.
Jeremy Julian: Well, I wanted to give you an opportunity to talk about that because I knew that was part of you guys’ culture. So I appreciate you sharing a bit about that. If people want to learn more, where do they go? What’s the website, before I ask my last question for you?
Dan Smith: Brooklynwaterbagel.com. Easy.
The CEO’s Go-To Order and His Off-Menu Build (27:07)
Jeremy Julian: Now last question for you, Dan, and I ask every operator this. What is your go-to? You’re bringing somebody to Brooklyn Water Bagel for the very first time, you’ve got to get them to experience something. And then what’s your oddity? That’s like one of those, I’ve been at Brooklyn Water Bagel every day for the last six weeks, and I’m going to create something that’s unique and different that might not be a menu offering. Every time I talk to restaurateurs that have been in places, they come up with something super unique and fun that’s probably not on the menu and probably not something the staff wants to execute very well. But it’s your unique go-to.
Dan Smith: My go-to is a Williamsburg, which I’m going to do on a sourdough toasted everything bagel. And that’s cream cheese and it’s smoked salmon and tomato and onion. And I like capers on mine. So that’s going to be my traditional go-to. I’m a New Yorker by birth. So that’s the way I started eating a bagel and that’s the way I’m going to go for it — sandwich doing it my way.
Dan Smith: If I’m really going to do something interesting and unique, I’m probably going to do pastrami and corned beef on a toasted everything bagel with a lot of spicy mustard and some sauerkraut on there. And I’m going to want to pile it high and I’m going to say, hey, we’re going to do this, we’re going to go double meat on this sandwich. I’m used to some of the old school great classics like Stage Deli and Carnegie Deli sandwiches out there, where you’re putting a pound of meat on there. I’m not going to go for a pound, but I might go for eight ounces. I might go for a half pound. So yeah, that would be something I would do.
Jeremy Julian: Awesome. Well, Dan, thank you very much for sharing. Like I said, I have yet to get to the brand and I’m regretful that I haven’t hit there yet. I’m not down in South Florida at all that often, but I’ve got to go check it out next time I’m in your neck of the woods.
Dan Smith: We’re shortly going to be starting construction in Dallas. So we will be near you and I will be making sure that you get an invitation. And I’m going to have you come over and join me with a pastrami corned beef piled high sandwich on a toasted everything bagel. You like?
Jeremy Julian: Yes, please. Honestly, I’m a Reuben guy, and every time I’m in the city I always go find an old Jewish deli to get a Reuben sandwich for myself. I’ve got two or three places in and around the city, depending upon where I’m at, that I always hit. So for sure. Well, thank you very much for what you guys have been building. I really love the attention to detail, what it is that you guys do to really impact your community, the brand and where it is that you guys are going. To our listeners, guys, like I say every time, I know you guys got lots of choices. So thank you guys for hanging out. If you haven’t already subscribed, please do so, and make it a great day.
Back to the episode: Brooklyn Water Bagel’s 14-Step Water System — Dan Smith, RTG Ep. 360, with show notes, key takeaways and all three players.
