The History of Bagel Bites

The origins of Bagel Bites can be traced back to the invention of the pizza bagel in the early 1970s. Surprisingly, there is some debate about this: Bruce Treitman claims he invented the pizza bagel at his family’s Western Bagel bakery chain in California in 1973 or 1974, while the then-owner of Katz Bagel Bakery in Massachusetts, Harry Katz, claims to have made the first pizza bagel in the early 1970s. But regardless of their true inventor, pizza bagels soon became a trend. Capitalizing on this, Stanley Garczynski and Bob Mosher of Florida invented Bagel Bites in the mid-1980s using custom-made tiny bagels. Bagel Bites were an instant success and the inventors sold their company just a few years later. In 1991, Heinz purchased Bagel Bites and put them on grocery store shelves everywhere under the brand name Ore-Ida Bagel Bites. Bagel Bites quickly became a classic after-school snack for kids in the 1990s, in part because although they were frozen, they didn’t need to be defrosted and could be heated up very quickly, creating unparalleled convenience. Since their introduction to grocery store shelves, Bagel Bites have come out in a few different flavors, including a breakfast version. Today, Bagel Bites still exist, and there are quite a few homemade recipes available for replicating them from scratch as well.