In The News

The way people find and connect with food has changed over the years; Gen Z, especially, is driving that shift. They discover new spots online, make decisions fast, and care just as much about the story behind what they’re eating as they do about the food itself. That shift has made family-owned businesses think differently about what it means to stay relevant. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram serve as powerful marketing tools, particularly when a single video can attract thousands of viewers. But what brings people back, again and again, is something more enduring than virality.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve Ustin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

One thing that gives us the most pride is the fact that we have been a family-owned business for over 75 years and have successfully competed against some of the largest bakeries in the country. We continue to grow year after year. It is difficult to run a business today, and we have a unique passion for what we do. My parents taught me to be a hard worker and to do whatever it takes to achieve success. I am very fortunate that my son Jeff has the passion and work ethic that I have. He runs the day-to-day operation now and is doing a great job….

Long before bagels became a popular breakfast choice in Los Angeles, one man rolled them by hand in a modest shop in Boyle Heights. David Ustin grew up in bakeries in the Bronx, where his father, Louis, baked bagels to support their family after fleeing the Russian Revolution. At the age of thirteen, he was already working full-time.

You’d think operating 10 Western Bagel shops in Los Angeles would be sufficient for the Ustin family including CEO Steve Ustin, and 47-year-old Jeff Ustin, his son and the president of a third-generation family business. As savvy entrepreneurs, the Ustin’s (pronounced Yustin) know that generating multiple revenue streams enables a retail business to weather a volatile economic environment.

L.A.’s homegrown bagel mini-chain has been making some of the best in the business since 1958. With 11 locations (mostly in the San Fernando Valley, except for an outpost within West L.A.’s Colony ghost kitchen), the family-owned Western Bagel is often cited as an essential piece of L.A. food culture. The bagels are soft and light, and, when served with a heaping helping of cream cheese, are almost in danger of folding over, even when toasted. Extremely L.A. bagel options, including low-carb and sprouted wheat options, complement a decidedly less health-conscious lunch menu, including a full line of Boar’s Head cold cuts and in-store roasted and thick sliced turkey breasts.

It may not seem so to outsiders, but in-the-know Angelenos have for decades harbored a delicious secret: this is a bagel city. Though Los Angeles carries none of the bagel prowess of New York City or the stigma of Montreal, there is no shortage of bagels here on the sunnier side. And to prove the point, all one needs to do is look to Western Bagel.

“Most people choose the bagel they grew up with,” says Richard Friedman, and for most Southern Californians, whether they know it or not, that means the choice is bagels made either by Friedman or his oldest competitor.