---
title: "The Bagel Wars: How H&H Is Scaling Without Private Equity"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/f40e9a3e-6e8b-46d2-aa97-d2a367006692
source: "Empires Weekly"
original_url: https://empirespod.substack.com/p/the-bagel-wars-how-h-and-h-is-scaling
author: "Patrick Buckley"
category: "Bakery & breakfast"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Bakery & breakfast"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2026-06-22T12:10:26.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:15:36.795Z
image: https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Hj4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc64bdae6-29b2-41f4-b757-9768bac815b4_1280x1280.png
---

# The Bagel Wars: How H&H Is Scaling Without Private Equity

**TL;DR:** H&H Bagels is scaling through franchising without private equity investment. Jay Rushin, owner of H&H Bagels, discusses the brand's growth and strategy on a podcast.

*By Patrick Buckley, originally published in Empires Weekly on 2026-06-22. [Read the original](https://empirespod.substack.com/p/the-bagel-wars-how-h-and-h-is-scaling).*

## Story

Jay Rushin, owner of H&H Bagels, joins the podcast to break down the rise of the bagel category, why H&H has taken a different path from venture-backed competitors, and how the brand is scaling its New York bagel model through franchising. He shares the story behind acquiring H&H, rebuilding the business, launching breakfast sandwiches, building a Queens production facility, and creating a franchise model designed to bring authentic New York bagels across the country.

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- franchising (topic)
- brand expansion (topic)
- private equity (topic)
- breakfast menu (topic)
- Empires Weekly (publication)
- Patrick Buckley (person)
- H&H Bagels (company)
- Jay Rushin (person)

---
Originally reported by Patrick Buckley, Empires Weekly (https://empirespod.substack.com/p/the-bagel-wars-how-h-and-h-is-scaling). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/f40e9a3e-6e8b-46d2-aa97-d2a367006692).