Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. is a restaurant operator and subsidiary of the Luxembourg-based company
JAB Holding Company. Bruegger's and its wholly-owned
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
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 busines ...
and operators of Bruegger's
bakery
A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...
-
café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...
s, and Michel's Baguette.
Bruegger's Bagels produce approximately 70 million bagels each year, and they hold the
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
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 and
Mike Dressell, with the first store opening in
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
, 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 United States 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. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...
(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 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,
mmmuffins, and
Michel's Baguette 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 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,
James J. Greco announced he would be stepping down as
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
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 Inc. 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 Montr ...
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 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 fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...
, 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
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
. 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 (fair), midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New Yo ...
and was sliced and served to onlookers, who were encouraged to make donations to benefit local
food bank
A food bank or food pantry 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 distrib ...
s.
See also
*
Fast casual restaurant
*
List of bakery cafés
References
External links
*
{{Fast-food chains of the United States
1983 establishments in New York (state)
1996 mergers and acquisitions
2003 mergers and acquisitions
2011 mergers and acquisitions
2017 mergers and acquisitions
American companies established in 1983
American subsidiaries of foreign companies
Bagel companies
Bakeries of the United States
Bakeries of New York (state)
Bakery cafés
Coffeehouses and cafés in the United States
Fast casual restaurants
Food and drink companies based in Vermont
Fast-food franchises
Restaurants established in 1983