We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joan Kanner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joan, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

A foodie with a research background, in 2015 I led the design and development of Baltimore’s first ever diner-focused survey. Tired of celebrity chef-driven dining trends, I wanted to know what diners’ experiences really were in the Baltimore food scene. The instrument, the Baltimore Diners Survey, was born. We quantified the following: What are the things that work for you when hitting your favorite places? What could you use less of? And what’s missing? We asked and Baltimore responded. Bagels – accessible, quality classics – was one of those answers.

There was an obvious void for this kind of food in our area and elsewhere. Rather than trying to wish it into existence or wait for someone else to create it, I thought, let’s see if we can do this on our own. And we did.

Because it wasn’t so much a love of baking (actually, I oversee lox, sausage and brisket making) that made me venture into the food industry as much as it was a desire to reconnect with people at a basic level — and, of course, missing the good bagels of my youth!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After 15 years in academia, it was clear that I needed to create an environment designed to be innovative; seek improvement, and equity. To play the ball rather than the politics. No matter where I’ve worked, the focus was not on those we served. Even when asked for their input, little was done with that data. This was a missed opportunity to me, especially when having the tools and resources to do it.

My career spanned project management, grant administration, survey creation and administration, focus group facilitation and training for multiple universities: Montclair State University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Johns Hopkins University. In some of my most user-centered work at UMB’s Work and Health Research Center, I oversaw the budgets of all NIH grants, Designated Research Initiative Funds (DRIF) accounts, and subcontracts totaling over $3,000,000.

In any position, my focus has always been on process improvement and quality assurance. But I always felt restricted by these more formal environments. So when I realized that I could apply my experience, creativity and cooking skills to a business of my own making, I had to go for it.

At Bottoms Up Bagels, we harness the power of flour, water, salt, sugar, and yeast to bring you a quality, handmade bagel.
Which is why I still marvel when some dare to ask “Where do you get your bagels?” You can guess at the reply, because the secret of our bagels isn’t the water — we can make an amazing bagel anywhere — it’s in the attitude: friendly, but no nonsense. It’s the Jersey way, and it’s in everything we make.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

We’re proud to have always been thinking bigger than we are, without skipping the steps it takes to really build a customer base and consistent product that people can count on, even amidst so much uncertainty. But while we grew during the pandemic, and even weathered staffing shortages, one thing that gave us pause was negotiating our lease. Sure, we were profitable. Yes, we love our customers. But when presented with a 40% rent increase, we really had to look at things.

Setting up shop in an underserved part of Baltimore was always our goal there. And the customers and orders came. But, so did the challenges. I can go on and on about the car that drove into the lamppost in front of the shop, or the police that wanted to tow our team member’s car but not the abandoned vehicle out front. We could deal with those things, but we couldn’t deal with landlords that – in addition to wanting to add their 2 cents about our menu – used derogatory terms about the developmentally disabled and mansplained to us what “colored people time” was.

So, we didn’t renew our lease. It was as heartbreaking as it was freeing. We’d been so far in the day-to-day tasks that we hadn’t worked on our operations. We standardized our recipes, but didn’t prioritize other SOPs. And where was our HR support? We decided to hit “pause” on an addictive cycle of revenue and feedback and witty exchanges with our customers while saying “no” to people who didn’t realize the gem of a renter they had.

But well before our lease negotiation, and even before our shop, we had our BUB Roadshow.

With the BUB Roadshow, we bring our concept and “Here’s to Everyday” spirit on the road to treat folks to old school, scratch made bagels and test new markets. Because we believe that you should grow where you are planted, but first go where you are wanted. In 2019 we kicked off the Roadshow partnering with pay-what-you-can restaurant, Fork & Spoon, providing back of house service for breakfast and lunch to feed hungry Montanans during a state football rivalry week. Then, COVID happened. But we triumphantly reprised the Roadshow in 2021. Impressed by their growth during COVID, we engaged the City of Cohoes to support an area church, activate a vacant storefront and get the word out to attract those from New York State’s Capital Region in search of a good bagel. We even hosted a follow-up event earlier this year, and captured some of the customers we missed on our first go-around.

While continuing to look for a new location in BUB’s home city, the Roadshow continues on. It’s our way of exploring new markets with open minds and the humility of being the “away team.” Which reminds me, I can’t forget our Testing the Waters events in Downeast Maine and Cambridge, Massachusetts earlier this year. We’ll be back for longer events, folks, we promise!

So if you’re reading this, and love a good bagel, reach out to us at [email protected] or visit us at: https://www.bottomsupbagels.com/roadshow-details to learn more about how to get us in your hometown.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

The business has been profitable from jump. On Small Business Saturday back in 2015, we began selling at the 32nd Street Farmers Market holiday pop-up, and we made back our startup costs that very day. Since then, we’ve stretched every dollar from a committed community by rolling up our sleeves day in and day out; trying to work smarter as we’ve grown.

But now our most pressing challenge is: how do you get further with no outside investment? It’s sobering to realize that increased year-over-year revenue and profitability, in addition to an excellent credit score, won’t secure the capital we need to grow. As someone who’s pulled myself out of poverty, leveraged the power of higher education and gradually worked on my credit, I truly thought that a brighter financial outlook was ahead. I honestly believed that I had “made it” and could apply my hard work and savviness to grow a hearty, beloved business. What I didn’t realize was the immense, weighty truth of the adage: “Your network is your net worth.”

While I finished both undergrad and graduate school, my alma mater’s alumni network doesn’t have the tight-knit and well-heeled reach of an Ivy League university. And family wealth? Fuggedaboutit! It’s not like I needed the news to remind me how “successful” founders got their start. (Emerald mines, much?) Back in 2017, we were introduced to a trust fund baby looking to start a bagel business of his own. During the course of the meeting, I learned about the hefty amount of money his dad gifted him for his graduation only to later be asked for our bagel recipe. We obviously said “no” to sharing something we worked so hard to perfect. He now has multiple stores thanks to investment beyond his family wealth. Nothing near that level of privilege was ever a part of my reality, and probably not yours.

So that’s how we’ve started, and how we’ve been funded for the better part of 7 years. Does that answer your question?
I recognize that 80% of people don’t care about the problems you have and 20% are happy you have them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bottomsupbagels.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bottomsupbagels/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bottomsupbagels
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-kanner/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bmorebagels
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bottomsupbagels

Image Credits
Bottoms Up Bagels ®