View text source at Wikipedia

Blazing Bagels

Blazing Bagels
Headquarters
Redmond, Washington
,
United States
Number of locations
4
Area served
Seattle metropolitan area
ProductsBagels
OwnerDennis Ballen
Number of employees
110 (2017)
Mural inside the Redmond, Washington location

Blazing Bagels is a bagel company based in Redmond and operating throughout the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington.[1] The business is owned by Dennis Ballen.[2][3]

Description

[edit]

Blazing Bagels is a Redmond, Washington-based bagel company operating in the Seattle metropolitan area. Menu categories have included "Cheesy" and "Meat Topped"; bagel varieties have included French toast, pesto, and rosemary.[4]

History

[edit]

Dennis Ballen established the business in Redmond, Washington,[5] opening a storefront in 2001.[6] Blazing Bagels has four locations in the Seattle metropolitan area, as of 2020, operating in Redmond, Bellevue,[7][8][9] and Seattle's Ravenna and SoDo neighborhoods.[4][10] The business also supplies local restaurants such as Dingfelder's Delicatessen.[11][12]

Ballen once sued the city of Remond after he was stopped "from putting an employee on a corner in a sandwich-board sign that advertised fresh bagels".[13][14][15][16][17]

The company employs approximately 110 people and sold approximately 36,000 bagels per day as of 2017.[18] In 2018, The Seattle Times said Blazing made 7 million bagels annually.[1]

The business has supported local charities, donating approximately 220,000 bagels annually, as of 2019. Blazing Bagels has collaborated with athletes such as J. P. Crawford[19] and Marco Gonzales to release signature sandwiches with proceeds benefitting various organizations.[20][21] In 2019, the Remond location was the starting point for the Tulip Ride, a motorcycle ride to Skagit Valley benefitting Seattle Humane.[22]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the business operated via delivery and take-out.[23]

Reception

[edit]

Allecia Vermillion of Seattle Metropolitan wrote in 2020, "These bagels have a fan base, for sure, one that perplexes bagel purists."[4] Christina Ausley included Blazing Bagels in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's 2020 overview of the city's best bagel shops.[6] Alyssa Therrien included the business in the Daily Hive's 2021 overview of "where to find the best bagels in Seattle".[24]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "The great Seattle-area bagel taste test". The Seattle Times. 2018-03-01. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2023-02-06. Local Redmond-based chain Blazing Bagels also makes them big 'n' tall, but has consistency nailed: They make more than 7 million (!?) bagels a year, so they should. Blazing's specimens had the advantage of actual flavor and a visible crumb (rather than gum), but a bagel-authenticity stickler would still absolutely reject their squooshy texture.
  2. ^ Sandefur, Timothy (2010-10-01). The Right to Earn a Living: Economic Freedom and the Law. Cato Institute. ISBN 978-1-935308-34-8. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  3. ^ Overland, Bethany (July 22, 2011). "Blazing Bagels makes dough via retail, wholesale". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "A Field Guide to Seattle Bagels". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  5. ^ Bolick, Clint (2013-09-01). Leviathan: The Growth of Local Government and the Erosion of Liberty. Hoover Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8179-4553-4. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  6. ^ a b Christina, Ausley (2020-10-07). "Where to find Seattle's best bagel shops". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  7. ^ Chan, Rosalie. "We checked out the neighborhood where Amazon is building a new 43-story tower in Bellevue, its tallest office building yet". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  8. ^ "Business at Blazing Bagels heats up". Redmond Reporter. 2009-03-26. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  9. ^ "Hines debuts design for Main Street Place, with offices, apartments and a 'town square'". Daily Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  10. ^ "Blazing Bagels by Safeco Field". The Seattle Times. 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  11. ^ "Take a self-guided walking (and munching) tour of Seattle's 'Bagel-muda Triangle'". The Seattle Times. 2021-12-03. Archived from the original on 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  12. ^ "Is Seattle ready for the $18 sandwiches at Dingfelder's Delicatessen?". The Seattle Times. 2018-10-11. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  13. ^ "Cities, businesses go round and round on twirling signs of the times". The Denver Post. 2011-06-20. Archived from the original on 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  14. ^ Brandweek. Adweek L.P. 2006. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  15. ^ Holt, Gordy (2003-07-22). "Bagel business sues Redmond over sign ban". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  16. ^ Sullum, Jacob (2003-12-01). "Moving Violation". Reason.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  17. ^ Richman, Dan (2004-01-22). "Blazing Bagels! Ban is lifted on portable signs in Redmond". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  18. ^ "How IJ Helped Blaze a Trail with the Bagel King of Seattle". Institute for Justice. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  19. ^ "For the Love of Dogs and Baseball: J.P. Crawford Pitches Sandwiches for Charity". South Seattle Emerald. 2021-07-12. Archived from the original on 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  20. ^ "Mariners family and Blazing Bagels team up for multiple system atrophy awareness". king5.com. August 15, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  21. ^ Morin, Richard. "Daily Sports Smile: MLB pitcher and wife create limited edition wine to benefit neurological nonprofit". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  22. ^ "TV star Katee Sackhoff advocates for animals at this weekend's Tulip Ride". king5.com. April 25, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  23. ^ COVID-19 pandemic:
  24. ^ "Here's where to find the best bagels in Seattle | Dished". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
[edit]