We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Hilbert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Dan’s Bagels was formed during the Covid pandemic. Being together indoors as a family made food our “center of gravity”. That gave birth to a nostalgia for bagels that we had enjoyed while living on the East Coast for over 20 years. So, we began experimenting and learning the process of making traditional boil & baked bagels akin to the ones found on the East Coast. As a by-product, we fell in love with the chemistry behind making bread, especially sourdough varieties.

Over a quick few months, we landed on the final recipe and offered them online exclusively. Customers would preorder online and then pickup at our home on their scheduled day & time. It was November 2020 when we really felt we had something special – it was that month that we sold out 3,000 bagels in 7 minutes.

From that moment, we began to work on opening a bagel shop – which launched in Trophy Club TX on August 3, 2021.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think the hardest part of the whole bagel shop journey was actually landing on the final recipe & product. Once that was done, I could leverage my 30+ years as a marketing professional and c-suite executive. Like many other small businesses, social media has really been effective for our business. We utilize it to inform, educate, celebrate and have some fun. My executive experience gives me the capability to run a P&L and manage negotiations. Naturally, that’s critical to the longevity of the business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d assume my friend would arrive late afternoon – so, locally to us, I would start by having a cocktail at 3 Vino in in Roanoke TX. From there, we’d grab dinner at Malai Kitchen in Southlake TX.

The next day, breakfast at Dan’s Bagels for (1) Bacon egg & cheese sandwich on a hard roll (2) Bagel with Lox with scallion cream cheese; we’d then take a trip to Bishop Arts near Dallas to walk the streets and shop – then pop into Oddfellows there to grab some lunch. In the evening, we’d drive back to my neighborhood and visit Soulfire Brewiing Company in Roanoke TX to have a couple flights of their handcrafted beers and sip on some of their unique bourbons & whiskeys; we’d finish with a TexMex dinner at Gloria’s Mexican Restaurant in Southlake TX.

Finally, it would be required to visit a TX BBQ joint – there are so many amazing locations that we’d probably have to flip a coin to decide. Regardless, the trip would end nicely with experiencing the food most famous to TX = BBQ.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Firstly, my main shoutout goes to my family. Moving into the restaurant business during the pandemic seemed like an insane idea, but my family was supportive right from the beginning. Saying that I was going to leave my lucrative corporate job to open up a high-risk small business would leave anyone to believe I was delusional. But my family stayed with me through everything; the good, the bad, the ugly.

Next, I would like to thank all those friends and customers who began the bagel journey with us when starting out of our home. They became our sounding boards, reality checks, and now, our very best customers. To this day we are so grateful for their support – and are a big reason our business gives back so generously to the local community.

Lastly and MOST importantly, I owe so much to my wife, Jennifer. She has been my business partner and emotional rock. I could not do this without her. For the business, she is a genius at process and operations. Our bagel shop is known for handcrafting our products and serving them quickly to the customer. Jen built that system – a system that allows us to deliver high quality with speed & accuracy.

Website: www.dansbagels.com

Instagram: @dansbagels

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dansbagels

Yelp: dan’s bagels

Other: Preorder bagels at: www.toasttab.com/dansbagels Uber Eats: Dan’s Bagels, Trophy Club TX

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