Black Seed Bagels Triples Volume with Square as Unified Commerce Platform

DISTRIBUTED-WORKFORCE/OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Black Seed Bagels, the artisan bagel brand led by James Beard-nominated executive chef and head baker Dianna Daoheung, is utilizing Square’s unified commerce platform to power its growth across New York City, now at 10 locations and counting. Black Seed Bagels first partnered with Square as its technology foundation in 2017. In the years since, Black Seed Bagels has scaled from a budding neighborhood concept into one of the city’s most recognized artisan food brands, tripling its gross payments volume without sacrificing the handcrafted standards that made it a destination in the first place.

Black Seed Bagels' story began with a bold conviction: that New York City deserved a better bagel. Co-founders Noah Bernamoff and Matt Kliegman bonded over what they saw as a gap in the market, with bagel shops too often low-service, less inspiring establishments. Together, they set out to create something different: a fast-casual concept with open kitchens, warm hospitality, and a hybrid bagel all their own - slightly bigger than Montreal-style, slightly smaller than a classic New York bagel, boiled in honey water and fired by hand in a wood-burning oven.

As the business expanded to its current 10 locations, Square’s unified commerce platform handled the volume, complexity, and operational demands that come with running a high-traffic artisan food brand in one of the world’s most competitive quick-service restaurant (QSR) markets.

From a Bold Bet to a New York City Institution

Between 2017 and 2019, Black Seed Bagels more than doubled its footprint by expanding from three to eight locations. Shortly thereafter, the brand weathered the full weight of the COVID-19 pandemic – at one point nearly coming to a complete standstill – and came out on the other side with determined momentum. By 2023, Black Seed Bagels not only recovered, but for the first time, crossed the threshold of $1M in gross payments volume in a single month, supported by Square as its unified commerce platform. To date, the brand has tripled its gross payments volume, sustaining its stability and maturity.

“Square has been in lock-step with our growth since 2017,” said Lindsay Todres, Director of Experience at Black Seed Bagels. “Square technology has supported us through every stage of our business. Through ambitious expansion, through the hardest stretch any restaurant could face, and through the growth that followed. Square’s platform handles everything our teams need day-to-day while giving us the visibility across locations to manage the business with confidence.”

A Platform Built for Craft at Scale

Running a high-volume artisan food operation in New York City demands a commerce platform that can enable operators without slowing down the kitchen, the counter, or the customer. Black Seed Bagels' Square stack is built around that enablement. Square Register and Square for Restaurants power in-store services, while Square Loyalty and Email Marketing drive repeat visits and keep the brand connected to its regulars. Flex supports the brand's growing catering business, and Advanced Access provides the multi-location management and reporting tools the team needs to oversee the full operation. For online ordering, Lunchbox powers integrations into UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash, alongside use of 7Shifts for workforce scheduling. The combination gives Black Seed Bagels end-to-end visibility, from the wood-burning oven to the catering order, from a loyalty redemption at the counter to a delivery routed through a third-party platform.

“Black Seed Bagels embodies the ambition Square was designed to support,” said James Schonzeit, Head of Food & Beverage at Square. “It’s a neighborhood favorite defined by craft and community, now operating at real New York City scale. What they’ve built over the past decade – surviving a pandemic, tripling volume, and expanding across the city without losing the soul of what makes them special – is a testament to great operators working with the right tools. They’ve achieved remarkable growth, and by working together, this is only the beginning.”

Made for New York City’s Artisan Food Scene

Operating a multi-location food brand in New York City requires a platform that can handle dense urban traffic, rotating menus, large teams, shift work, and customers who have plentiful options. Square’s platform is purpose-built for this complexity. Black Seed Bagels has built a brand that extends into catering, frozen retail at select Whole Foods Markets and FreshDirect, and an ever-changing monthly collaboration menu with other celebrated New York City restaurants and chefs. Square supports this diversifying business model – from daily counter service, to event catering invoices, to the loyalty programs that keep the city’s most devoted fans coming back.

As the brand grows its footprint and reach, Black Seed Bagels remains focused on the same mission that inspired its founding: doing something simple exceptionally well, and building a community around it. With Square as its long-standing commerce platform, the infrastructure is in place to continue doing so at even greater scale.

To learn more about how Square powers food and beverage businesses, visit squareup.com/restaurants.

About Square

Square helps businesses turn transactions into connections and businesses into neighborhood favorites.

In 2009, Square started with a simple invention – the first mobile card reader, which changed how the entire financial system thinks about small businesses. Square has since grown into a global business platform helping millions of sellers of all sizes participate and thrive in their communities.

Whether independently run or a global chain, Square understands that sellers succeed when they have the freedom to focus on the experiences that keep customers coming back. From point of sale and payments to online commerce, staff management, cash flow tools, and more, Square brings together the tools sellers need to run and grow on one intelligent platform. For more information, visit squareup.com.