Hey Bagel's Andrew Rubinstein on U Village plans, bialy dogs, & the Seattle bagel scene
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In case you haven’t heard, Hey Bagel has finally found its new home. When I spoke with owner Andrew Rubinstein in December, he was still trying to figure out whether to set up shop in Seattle or the Eastside. Ultimately, Seattle won out and Hey Bagel will open its doors in University Village this fall.
I sat down with Rubinstein earlier this week to discuss the big news, see how business is going, and find out what lessons he’s taking from starting (and leaving) Rubinstein Bagels as he starts a new shop.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
So, why U Village?
It was just an opportunity that I think I couldn't say no to. I really did want to be on the Eastside for my ease of life and all that other stuff. But it's too expensive on the Eastside for the amount of people.
[With U Village], you feel like it's a gold medal opportunity. There's so much foot traffic and there's so much cachet to it. If I ever do want to expand and do more, there's a lot of attention just from that location. But I think the high level of population and foot traffic, it allows me to do that thing that I've been talking about all along, which is pacing my baking and baking all day long and getting that hot bagel out as much as I possibly can to people.
It's just the logistics of the fact that we don't have a lot of people in the city, but it's a bummer that if you come in early to a bakery, you're hoping to get the bakery smells, the ‘It's so fresh, it's still warm’ experience. And because of production and trying to keep up with things, you can't do that very easily sometimes. And you have to bake earlier in the morning. It's still fresh, still great, but it's a different experience.
So, I'm hoping to flip that. I feel like this could be that opportunity.
What is your vision for what Hey Bagel: The Store and its menu look like?
I might not even have the names of the bagels on the menu board. It might just be bagels in the cases and dozens and half-dozen and quarter-dozen and things like that. And then so it's going to be a menu of just straight bagels and bialys and schmears and a schmear case, like an ice cream case. It's going to get a little kitschy, but it'll be fun. I think it'll allow us to take some chances on some weird flavors.
I'm partnering with Anchorhead Coffee, so I'm really excited about bringing them to the mall. They've got all these pre-batched drinks. I think that'll also help. If we're really busy, people can get a really yummy coffee drink, but we just pour it and they can go. We've made it already for them.
I have to stay open till 6:00 p.m., so I'm planning on doing either bagel dogs or bialy dogs, I think the bialy dog could be a cool iteration of this thing. Then I don't have to boil anything.
How does a bialy dog work?
Bialy dog, I'm thinking I'm going to shape the bialy and then I might blind-bake it with a foil-wrapped dowel to make an impression. Then people come and they want whatever bialy plus the dog, we can take a heated dog, drop it in, whether it's a veggie dog or maybe a sausage like a brat, and then we can top it with whatever, like the cream cheese.
My thought is it will be like a protein bump midday that people can get. And hopefully, I can find some really great dogs. I like a hot dog. I think that'd be fun.
When you think about opening your own place again, what lessons are you taking with you from Rubinstein Bagels?
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