Bruegger's Celebrates National Bagel Day, Tuesday February 9

DALLAS, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuesday February 9th is National Bagel Day, a day that Bruegger's Bagels, founder of the retail bagel concept and holder of the Guinness Book of World Records' title for largest bagel, takes very seriously.

Americans take bagel eating seriously, too. Americans eat an estimated 3 billion bagels annually, an average of about 11 per person, according to the New York Times.

In honor of National Bagel Day, Bruegger's surveyed approximately 75,000 fans, via Facebook and email. More than 60 percent of respondents said they have a bagel for a snack, breakfast or lunch at least once per week. Five percent of the respondents are hardcore bagel eaters - they eat them every day!

In the category of favorite bagel flavor, the winners are:

- The Everything Bagel. 22.8% of respondents chose this flavor as their favorite.

- Cinnamon-Raisin. 12.5% of respondents liked it a little sweet.

- Sesame. 10.8% of respondents liked bagels on the seedy side.

- Bruegger's Asiago Parmesan bagel was a write-in favorite followed by whole wheat and rosemary olive oil bagels.

In the category of favorite bagel topping, the winners are:

- Plain cream cheese. 21% like it plain.

- Honey walnut cream cheese. 13.8% were nutty for honey walnut.

- Butter. 12% want to "stick" to the basics.

- Peanut butter and jalapeno cream cheese were write-in favorites.

- Naked. 3% of respondents thought Bruegger's bagels were perfect just as they are - without any spread.

In 1983, when Bruegger's was founded, bagels were a northeast regional favorite. Today, Bruegger's sells bagels in 291 locations across 25 states.

"Bagels have become an American tradition loved by generations of families," said James Greco, Bruegger's CEO. "We pride ourselves on making the most authentic bagels available, and are pleased to share the centuries-old, time-tested tradition with our guests."

Bagels rose in popularity in the U.S. late in the 1960s through the automated production and distribution of frozen bagels by bagel bakers Harry Lender and Florence Sender. Before Nord Brue and Mike Dressell started Bruegger's in 1983, they worked with a professional bagel baker from New York City for 2 1/2 years to perfect their recipe and baking process. The authentic, New York-style bagel is made with just five ingredients - flour, salt, yeast, water and malt. The dough is freshly baked throughout the day in each of Bruegger's bakeries, resulting in the product billions of Americans clamor for each year.

In 2009, Bruegger's sold 87 million bagels. Topping all those bagels was more than 2.5 million pounds of cream cheese. Bruegger's is also credited with creating the world's largest bagel on August 27, 2004. The oversized bagel weighed in at 868 pounds and required 1,100 pounds of dough, 900 gallons of water and a bake time of 10 hours.

Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc., an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., is a leader in the fast casual restaurant segment. In its 291 locations in 25 states and the District of Columbia, Bruegger's is dedicated to serving delicious, authentically made food that brings guests back again and again. Famous for genuine New York-style bagels baked fresh throughout the day, Bruegger's also bakes an array of fresh breads on site including honey wheat and hearty white. Guests can chose a variety of menu items, all free of trans-fats, that include unique cream cheese flavors, breakfast sandwiches, hand-tossed salads, hearty soups, sandwiches, panini and desserts. Every day the neighborhood bakery features a Fair Trade Certified coffee from Green Mountain Coffee with a frequently changing menu reflecting seasonal and geographical specialties. Founded in 1983, Bruegger's is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont and supports its neighbors in every community it serves. For more information, please visit www.brueggers.com or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brueggers.

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SOURCE Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc.