Early Tuesday morning, the Kettlemans Bagel in the Glebe had 600 dozen hand-rolled Montreal bagels ready to go as part of a special celebration marking 32 years in business.

It offered a one-day-only treat: bagels for just 32 cents, down from the usual $1.79.

Just three hours later, the doughy rings were all gone, vanished into the hands of carb-crazed customers, with nothing but their holes left behind. Meanwhile, bakers raced to roll, shape and slide more bagels into the wood-fired oven.

“We were sold out by 9 a.m.,” said Kettlemans Bagel president Amer Wahab during a late-morning interview inside the company’s very first location, in the Glebe, where more bagels were being baked.

As the bagels flew off the shelves that day, one quietly claimed the title of 200 millionth. Which one it was, we’ll never know.

Kettlemans sold more than 70,000 bagels on Tuesday.

Thirty-two isn’t exactly a traditional milestone anniversary, but Wahab said the timing felt right. “We just wanted to give back and to share and celebrate with the people who made us successful.”

Wahab himself handed out slices of cake to customers as part of the birthday celebration.

“You know what’s making me really happy right now? The last time we had a line stretching right outside our door was pre-COVID. We’re always busy, but never with a line like this. This is amazing.”

Emma Latreille, communications manager at Kettlemans Bagel, holds up one of the birthday cakes the business shared with customers at the Glebe location on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Kettlemans was founded in 1993 by Craig Buckley and Joe Bianchini. Ten years ago, the business began laying the groundwork to scale up with a second location at College Square in the west end, followed by another at Ottawa Train Yards and another in Kanata.

Kettlemans currently has seven locations, four of which are in Ottawa, one in Montreal and two in Toronto (not including its presence in the food hall inside the Longo’s in Vaughan). Wahab sees room for further growth. “If only we could land a location in Barrhaven; I’ve been searching for two years,” he said of the suburb in southwest Ottawa.

What it really wants to do, though, is start franchising.  He believes there’s room for smaller franchise shops and kiosks to pop up in Ontario. “Do we really need to have 2,500- and 3,000-square-foot stores? No. It doesn’t make sense. If we can use our big stores to become the offshoot or the production facilities, then we’re able to control the product.”

Not that you can ever fully control the appearance of a hand-rolled bagel. Each one is unique. “Bagels are the most perfectly imperfect item,” said Wahab with a smile.

According to Wahab, what sets Kettlemans apart from other bagel bakeries is its sandwich menu. The Breakfast Bagel is by far the most popular, followed by the Kettlemans Special, made with fresh, cold-smoked Atlantic salmon sourced from Nova Scotia.

The company is working with StratonHunter Group, a Canadian-based consulting firm specializing in strategic growth for the foodservice industry.

One of the owners of Kettlemans is powerhouse entrepreneur Jeff York, known for his success with Farm Boy, Altea Active and Giant Tiger, to name a few, as well as being a minority owner of the Ottawa Senators hockey team.

Wahab, who’s of Lebanese heritage, is also a self-made business leader. He grew up living in social housing in Ottawa and credits Scouts Canada as a formative influence. After running nightclubs for a while, he became director of operations for a number of restaurant chains, including Freshii, Five Guys Burger & Fries and Big Smoke Burger prior to joining Kettlemans Bagel in 2016.

Giving back is important to Wahab, but the married father of two wishes he had more time to volunteer. He likes to think he contributes in another important way: through job creation.

He recalled York saying to him: “If you want to give back, open more stores. The best way to impact your community isn’t just by volunteering, it’s by creating jobs.”

Kettlemans Bagel opened its first location in the Glebe in August 1993. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Wahab is not only proud that Kettlemans Bagel employs more than 400 people, but also of how the company trains, rewards and advances its top talent. He shared the story of Shubhankar Purandare, who moved to Canada, via the United States, from India.

He arrived in Ottawa late one night, when most restaurants were closed. Purandare ordered a sandwich from Kettlemans Bagel, which is open 24 hours, 365 days a year. “He was like, ‘Man, this is really good; I’m going to go there and apply for a job’,” recalled Wahab. And he did.

Purandare was hired at the Ottawa Train Yards location, rising from supervisor to manager while his employer helped him to balance his studies at Algonquin College. He later advanced from HR manager to director of HR.

“Someone who lived and breathed the culture is now its champion,” said Wahab, who can draw on more stories of how Kettlemans Bagel has helped build careers for its employees. “They’re buying houses, having families.”

As for Wahab, he was just a high school kid when Kettlemans Bagel first opened in the Glebe. His inaugural visit was a late-night adventure typical of teenage boys on the hunt for something to eat.

He enjoyed a reuben bagel sandwich, washed down with a full litre of Cochrane’s Dairy two-percent chocolate milk. “That first bite,” said Wahab with a knowing smile. “To this day it’s my go-to.”

Kettlemans Bagel opened its first location in the Glebe in August 1993. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law.

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