Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. is a restaurant operator and subsidiary of the Luxembourg-based company

JAB Holding Company JAB Holding Company ("JAB" or Joh. A. Benckiser) is a German conglomerate, headquartered in Luxembourg, that includes investments in companies operating in the areas of consumer goods, forestry, coffee, luxury fashion, animal health, and fast foo ...

. It and its wholly owned subsidiary Threecaf Brands Canada, Inc., are

franchisers Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its busine ...

and operators of Bruegger's

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non ...

s, and

Michel's Baguette Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. is a restaurant operator and subsidiary of the Luxembourg-based company JAB Holding Company. It and its wholly owned subsidiary Threecaf Brands Canada, Inc., are Franchising, franchisers and operators of Bruegger's b ...

. Bruegger's Bagels produce approximately 70 million bagels each year, and they hold the Guinness World Record for producing the world's largest bagel. The company is known for being the largest bakery of authentic New York style, kettle-boiled bagels in the U.S. with each location baking their 14 flavors of bagels on-site, each morning in small batches. Bruegger's also specializes in made-in-Vermont cream cheese, served in over 11 flavors. Aside from bagels, Bruegger's has a regular menu for dine-in, takeout, or delivery including: egg sandwiches, lunch deli sandwiches, muffins, cookies, side choices, as well as coffee, espresso drinks, iced drinks, tea, and soda. Bruegger's operates approximately 190 restaurants in 16 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Corporate history

Bruegger's was founded in 1983 by

Nordahl Brue Nordahl Leo Brue (born November 20, 1944) is a lawyer and entrepreneur, best known as a founder of Bruegger's Bagels. Brue was educated at Grinnell College and Washington University in St. Louis. In 1983, Brue and Mike Dressell opened the first B ...

and

Mike Dressell Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. is a restaurant operator and subsidiary of the Luxembourg-based company JAB Holding Company. It and its wholly owned subsidiary Threecaf Brands Canada, Inc., are franchisers and operators of Bruegger's bakery-café ...

, with the first store opening in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, New York. The business was bought by Quality Dining (a franchisee) in June 1996 for $142 million in stock, with the founders joining the Quality Dining board. The merge was not a comfortable one; within a short period Brue and Dressell became concerned with the ongoing operations and scope for growth, leading to a critical

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

(SEC) filing alleging a lack of strategic direction. Holding a combined 26% stake, Brue and Dressell called for reorganization of Quality Dining, resulting in Bruegger's being resold to Brue and Dressel in October 1997 for $45 million. Brue has since referred to the original sale as part of his "biggest mistake". In May 2003,

James J. Greco James Joseph Greco (born January 4, 1958) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. Currently, he serves as the president and chief executive officer of foodservice investment firm Pilgrim Holdings. Throughout his career, he has held numerou ...

and

Sun Capital Partners Sun Capital Partners, Inc., is an American private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts. Sun Capital was founded in 1995 by Marc J. Leder and Rodger Krouse, former classmates at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and ...

acquired the company from the founders. Today, approximately 190 Bruegger's locations operate in 16 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The company is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont. Bruegger's announced $200 million in revenue in 2008. On November 13, 2009, Bruegger's purchased the retail operations of

Timothy's World Coffee Timothy's World Coffee (a.k.a. Timothy's) is a large Canadian coffee roasting company and chain of coffeeshops. Origin and background Timothy's was founded in 1975 as a retailer of premium roasted coffee beans by Timothy Snelgrove and his wife T ...

mmmuffins Marvellous Mmmuffins, also known as mmmuffins, was a Canadian restaurant chain that sold coffee and muffins. It was established in 1979 and granted its first franchise in 1980. Its popularity peaked in the 1980s and 1990s, when most shopping ma ...

, and

through a wholly owned subsidiary called ThreeCaf Brands Canada, Inc. Bruegger's intends to continue operations of all three brands. The three brands combined operated approximately 140 locations. On March 17, 2011,

Groupe Le Duff Groupe Le Duff is a French restaurant conglomerate, with holdings in Europe and the Americas, consisting of over 1,310 restaurants and bakeries. It includes Bridor, La Madeleine, Kamps, Mimi's Cafe, Pizza Del Arte, and Brioche Dorée. The comp ...

of France announced the buyout of Bruegger's. Le Duff already has a U.S. presence with its La Madeleine brand, which has 60 units domestically. Le Duff plans to "Francify" some Bruegger's locations and will combine other units with Brioche Dorée outlets. The first European Bruegger's opened in Rennes in 2013 (Paris and Toulouse in 2015). In December 2011,

announced he would be stepping down as CEO at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities. On August 24, 2017, it was announced that Bruegger's owner Le Duff America announced that Caribou and its privately held owner JAB Holdings had agreed to buy the bagel chain. The terms of the deal, which closed at the end of September, were not disclosed. In December 2017 Bruegger's closed 30 locations, primarily in Eastern markets. In April 2018, Threecaf Brands sold Timothy's World Coffee and mmmuffins to Canadian company

MTY Food Group MTY Food Group is a Canadian franchisor and operator of numerous casual dining, fast casual, and quick service restaurants operating under more than 70 brand names, some of them through wholly owned subsidiaries. Headquartered in the Montreal bor ...

for $1.7 million, of which $1.2 million was in cash, $0.2 million in assumed liabilities, and $0.3 million as a holdback.

Subsidiaries

Michel's Bakery Café

Michel's Bakery Café, formerly named Michel's Baguettes, is a Canadian bakery-café founded in 1980, operating restaurants throughout Canada. The company is one of the largest bakery-café chains in Canada and operates both corporate and

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

locations. The company was purchased by Timothy's Coffees of the World Inc. in 2001. Timothy's continued to operate the Michel's Bakery Café stores under their original

trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...

, Michel's Baguette. On November 13, 2009, Michel's Baguette was sold to Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. along with Timothy's Coffee and mmmuffins through a wholly owned subsidiary called ThreeCaf Brands Canada Inc. Bruegger's has continued to operate these chains. The company has since revitalized its operations, revamped its aesthetics and changed its name to Michel's Bakery Café.

World record

On August 27, 2004, Bruegger's created the world's largest bagel, which currently holds the Guinness World Record. The bagel weighed and required of dough, of water, and 10 hours of baking. It was cooked at the

New York State Fair The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 13-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology. With midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New York's largest an ...

and was sliced and served to onlookers, who were encouraged to make donations to benefit local

food bank A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food direct ...

References

External links