KATY, TX (Covering Katy) - Mike Discon purchased Katy's Bagel Cafe nearly one year ago, and he says business is going great. In fact, he's opened two more locations and is ramping up a catering business.
"I knew nothing about the bagel business two years ago," Mike said. But the New York native knows the flavor and texture of a great bagel.
He started making bagels at home and selling them at local farmer's markets.
"We'd sell 700 to 800 bagels," he said. "We were selling out."
When the local government shut down farmer's markets because of COVID-19, Mike decided it was time to open a store.
"I had an opportunity to buy The Bagel Cafe from Michelle Goulder, and she helped me perfect my bagels," Mike said.
In April 2021, Mike became the new owner of the Bagel Cafe at 631 South Mason Road near Kingsland Boulevard in Katy.
Mike said he did not make any significant changes because the business was well established and very popular. The same radio station plays in the background. The same staff serves customers. Katz's coffee is still the hot beverage of choice, and dozens of kind notes from satisfied customers still hang on the cafe's bulletin board.
Mike has not taken anything away, but he has added a few things.
"We added New York-style pastries, artisan breads, and egg-everything bagels," he said.
He also retained the lunch menu of sandwiches, paninis, soups, and salads.
Following his success in Katy, Mike opened 4 Brother's NY Bagels inside H-E-B at 24224 Northwest Freeway in Cypress. Then, in January, he opened a brick-and-mortar location, under the same name, at 4443 Cypress Creek Parkway.
He's also wholesaling bagels and New York pastries to area businesses.
A construction manager turned bagel and pastry chef; Mike says he could not have predicted his career would take such an unexpected turn.
"Never in a million years did I think I'd be a bagel guy, but two years later, here I am."
The Bagel Cafe
The Bagel Cafe
The Bagel Cafe
The Bagel Cafe