Bruegger's

Did You Know?

• The world's largest bagel, created by Bruegger's on August 27, 2004, weighed 868 lb and required 1,100 lb of dough, 900 gal of water, and 10 hours of baking.
• The bagel was cooked at the New York State Fair and was sliced and served to onlookers, who were encouraged to make donations to benefit local food banks.
• The first European Bruegger's opened in Rennes in 2013, with locations in Paris and Toulouse following in 2015.

Corporate history

Bruegger's was started in 1983 by Nordahl Brue and Mike Dressell, who opened their first shop in Troy, New York. In June 1996, the chain was acquired by Quality Dining, a franchisee, for $142 million in stock, and the founders were placed on that company's board. The arrangement quickly soured. Brue and Dressell grew uneasy about how the business was being run and its potential for growth, and they filed a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that accused Quality Dining of lacking a clear strategy.

With a combined 26% ownership, they pushed for a reorganization, and in October 1997 they bought Bruegger's back for $45 million. Brue later called selling the first time his "biggest mistake." In May 2003, James J. Greco and Sun Capital Partners purchased the company from the founders. In November 2009, Bruegger's bought the retail operations of Timothy's World Coffee, mmmuffins, and Michel's Baguette through a subsidiary called ThreeCaf Brands Canada, Inc., and planned to keep all three brands running; together they had about 140 locations.

In March 2011, French company Groupe Le Duff announced it was buying Bruegger's. Le Duff already owned the La Madeleine chain in the U.S. In December 2011, Greco said he would step down as CEO at year's end. In August 2017, Le Duff America said Caribou Coffee and its owner JAB Holdings had agreed to buy Bruegger's; the deal closed that September. In December 2017, Bruegger's shut down 30 stores, mostly in Eastern markets. In April 2018, Threecaf Brands sold Timothy's World Coffee and mmmuffins to Canadian firm MTY Food Group for $1.7 million.