Bagel Biz on a Roll

In the beginning, there was venerable Western Bagel with the bagels that “won the West.”

Then came corporate powerhouse Starbucks, with its aromatic coffees and gourmet bagels, courtesy of LaBrea Bakery. Next was Noah’s New York Bagels, the Bay Area import with the taste of old New York.

Most recently, Jerry’s Famous Deli supplanted Solley’s, purveying its own bagels. Not to mention Vons and Ralphs supermarkets, each with its own deli counters and bread departments.

Bagels aren’t just for breakfast anymore, especially at the shopping center at the corner of Topanga Canyon and Ventura boulevards.

That they’ve become big business in Southern California and around the nation, racking up $1.6 billion in national sales in 1996, is well known.

More profits, naturally, attract more outlets. More outlets mean more choices. And more choices spawn more competition, which is turning some areas, like the Woodland Hills shopping center, into battlegrounds for hearts and stomachs.

“Before, it used to be mom-and-pop stores,” said Tim Brennan, manager of Western Bagel, a 25-year landmark at the shopping center. “But now it’s become big business.”

Most symbolic of the new competitive environment is the signage in front of Jerry’s: “BAGEL WAR. All varieties 18 cents each.” The sign, according to one employee, was “just a promotion.” But he couldn’t resist adding that nearby competitors would be hard-pressed to match the prices of Jerry’s bagels.

At Western Bagel, which charges $4.95 per dozen and 50 cents for a single bagel sans cream cheese and lox, service and quality get the nod over price.

“I’ve seen them come and go,” said Brennan with the confidence that comes with survival. “This is like most trends. It’ll blossom and then you’ll see the fallout.”

For now, each place has its own shtick.

Keeping customers “depends on [offering] the best service and quality possible,” added Robert De Pasquale, also a Western Bagel manager. Their strategy: “Get ‘em in and out in less than five minutes.”

To Ami Saffron, the mustachioed vice president of Jerry’s, being in the deli business with 700 menu items is a big plus when you’re pushing bagels.

“We are a deli,” Saffron said. “Bagels have always been connected with delicatessens, and bagel shops are just a spinoff of that.”

As for the competition, “there’s a big concentration of bagel places on this corner,” Saffron said, stating the obvious. “It’s similar to having four gas stations on each corner of an intersection.”

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At nearby Noah’s, which came to the shopping center last summer, taste, freshness and a social conscience distinguish the brand from rivals, said spokeswoman Susan Gonzales.

“Our bagels are bigger, chewier, stay fresher much longer, and are kosher,” said Gonzales. Noah’s, which already has several outlets in the San Fernando Valley, also requires its local stores to “take an active role in the community.”

The Woodland Hills Noah’s, Gonzales said, donated 10% of its opening-day proceeds to a local group that aids abused children, had employees volunteer at a home for disabled children, and chipped in to help fund a program for deaf children at a local community theater.

While many applauded Noah’s for its philanthropic efforts, others one recent morning said it wouldn’t affect where they eat.

“They’re there to supply a bagel,” said Jay Cannon, 32, waiting for his order to come up at Western Bagel. “And I like mine with salt.”

Woodland Hills residents Maria Soria and Leonardo Cassien, who sat outside Western Bagel with their dog sipping coffee, said they have tried Starbucks and Noah’s but settled for Western because, of all things, the coffee.

“If I didn’t have this, I would stay home,” said Soria.

Inside, Earl and Gail Glass likened their tastes for different bagel places to having family members who went to USC and UCLA.

She likes Noah’s but Western Bagel is the best, Glass said.

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In the end, whichever brand prevails is of little consequence, said one man as he lifted to his lips a piping-hot bagel topped by a generous helping of cream cheese.

“Look, bagels are here to stay,” he said. “They’re easy. People can rip ‘em in half, make sandwiches out of them or save ‘em for later. And they don’t dry out as fast as bread.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, can I eat?”