Backyard Bagel opens new production bakery: 'We'll be able to produce a lot more bagels'

In two years, we've come a long way from Aaron's Bagels' origins.

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As I stood in Backyard Bagel’s new production bakery last week, it felt like a full-circle moment.

It was less than two years ago that I met Aaron Emas at a massive commissary kitchen where he was renting space for Aaron’s Bagels, his pandemic startup bagel business. That day, I watched Aaron make 240 bagels that would be distributed to wholesale partners and online orders.

From there, the biz expanded to become a farmer’s market mainstay. Less than a year after our meeting, Aaron’s Bagels became Backyard Bagel, and they opened their Fremont shop, where they’ve been churning out some of Seattle’s best bagels since, winning the inaugural Mensch Madness tournament in March.

Between the shop, farmer’s markets, catering, and the wholesale business, Emas needs to make a lot more than 240 bagels each day to keep things humming. That was never more apparent than a few weeks ago when the shop oven broke down, and they were unable to make bagels for several days.

Those momentary troubles were serendipitous in a way, as they confirmed to Emas that he needed more equipment, more ovens, and more space to keep the bagels rolling.

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Last week, Backyard debuted its new 1,500-square-foot production bakery on Union Bay Place just outside of University Village. The location might ring a few bells for fans of General Porpoise. Sea Creatures, which owns the donut shop chain, announced last week it would be shuttering that location. Backyard Bagel was able to take over the expansive kitchen located at the back of the building and will now use it as a home base for all production (all bagels will be rolled in the new facility, but they will still bake on-site at the Fremont shop).

“We're going to be ramping up wholesale quite a lot,” Emas told It’s a Shanda. “We're also going to be really able to supply the farmers markets with what we should be doing. We just haven't been able to produce enough for them. We've been selling out there, which is fine, but we're there for the 6 hours, no matter what, we can't close early at a farmer's market. So you want to be selling the whole time, and that's what the market likes. And so we'll be able to produce a lot more bagels.”

Emas says they’re likely to make around 4,000 bagels each day, sometimes more.

One of the benefits of relocating a significant portion of their production here is that it will create space in the Fremont shop. Several fridges currently located in the lobby will be moved to make room for more seating.

Naturally, the question arises whether Backyard Bagel is considering expanding to a second storefront. Emas’s answer was yes… kinda.

“We're looking at some things right now,” he said. “I'm just waiting for the right spot. Working with a great broker, she's sending me some stuff, but I'm just waiting for the place that feels right.”

It’s worth noting that after General Porpoise vacates on June 24, an empty retail setup will be in place out front, ready for a new tenant. Emas says that there are no plans to take that space over for now.

Backyard’s Fremont shop will celebrate its first anniversary in July, and Emas said he’s learned a lot in that time, especially transitioning from a pop-up mentality to a brick-and-mortar one.

“You have to be very flexible, and you have to be very organized,” he said. “Running things like a pop-up does not work for a restaurant. I've been doing a lot of work. I've been working with my chef and GM to create really good processes and systems to stay organized. I think we've done a really good job.”

It’s impressive what can be accomplished in two years. It’s a little hard to imagine where Backyard Bagel might be two years from now. But all signs point to bigger and better things. One thing's for sure: the 2025 Mensch Madness chompion isn’t resting on its laurels.

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