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The Scotto/Di Meo Family
Owners
THB Bagelry & Deli and The Bagel Connoisseurs of Baltimore
Growing up in Italy, Tony Scotto spent his spare time working in his family’s delicatessen. That experience, combined with his love of bread, would serve him well years later running a Maryland bagel and deli enterprise.
Interestingly, Scotto didn’t eat his first bagel until arriving in the United States to attend Towson University. “My taste buds were on fire because most American breads were softer than Italian breads, so bagels were a great alternative,” he explains.
In 2008, Scotto partnered with his father, brother, sister and cousin to purchase and operate the original Towson Hot Bagels shop. “The product was great and we never changed the recipe,” he explains. “But we did go to New York to fully immerse ourselves in the culture of bagels.”
After rebranding as THB Bagelry & Deli the following year, the company added locations in Canton, Timonium and Charles Village, and consistently won “Best of Baltimore” awards for its authentic bagels and sandwiches.
As a business founded on family, THB Bagelry & Deli is modeled after the values that are cherished within both the Jewish and Italian communities. Its two newest locations – Columbia and Owings Mills – opened during the COVID pandemic, which presented new challenges.
“To make it easy for our customers, we introduced kiosks and bookshelves for grab-and-go and made a huge investment in online ordering and our app,” Scotto says.
The strategy paid off as the Owings Mills store did the best sales from the start. According to Scotto, “Owings Mills customers sometimes come daily and, similar to our other locations, Yom Kippur is the busiest day of the year.”
While the business has grown, Scotto has made sure it continues treating employees and customers like family, explaining: “As more people come to us, we create a bigger family.”
THB Bagelry & Deli also made it a mission to support the community – offering purple bagels during football season to honor the Ravens, as well as teal-and-purple bagels for National Suicide Prevention Month and pink bagels for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in partnership with local nonprofits.
Future plans include a National Bagel Day celebration in January and hopefully operating 10 stores by THB’s 25th anniversary in 2024.
THB Bagelry & Deli
eatTHB.com
Towson • Timonium • Canton • Charles Village • Columbia • Owings Mills
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