Brooklyn Boro

Brandon Steiner: Inventor of the everything bagel

March 12, 2021 Andy Furman
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Never.

Never in a million years.

It should be a question on Jeopardy – “Who invented the everything bagel?”

Look no further – Brandon Steiner.

Yes – the Brandon Steiner, renowned as one of the premiere sports marketing and memorabilia experts who launched CollectibleXchange.com and The Steiner Agency in late 2019.

That was after revolutionizing the collectibles industry after 32 years of overseeing Steiner Sports Marketing and Memorabilia.

But back to bagels.

“I was around 12 years old,” he told the Eagle, “and I had a paper route delivering the Daily News. They had a promotion; you could win candy bars if you signed the most accounts.”

Even at an early age, the now 61-year-old Steiner had those competitive juices as a blooming entrepreneur.

“I had a real problem getting a woman to sign for a subscription,” he said, “she just wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t sign her up.”

And the best place for advice — your mom, of course.

That’s exactly what Steiner did.

“She told me to be a ‘Solution Based’ person,’” he said. “So, I went back to her house at around 11 p.m. – yes 11 p.m. I promised to buy her milk and bagels on Wednesdays and Sundays if she subscribed to the paper.”

She did. Steiner’s account list ballooned from 29 dailies to 199 – and 234 on Sundays.

Work always seem to come before school for Steiner. 

He was raised in Flatbush – Kings Highway and Ocean Parkway – attended P.S. 215 and later Dewey High School.

But school seemed more of a place to sleep.

Steiner would deliver the papers seven-days-a-week, then twice-a-week make the bagel run.

Add to that he was working in the bagel shop on East 3rd on Kings Highway – near the Carvel – and baking bagels at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m.

Something had to give.

It did.

The night baker quit – Steiner took over and the Everything Bagel was soon-to-be-born.

“I quit the paper route,” he said, “and I was working with bagels when I was 14.   When it got really slow, and I was bored, I’d twist those bagels. 

“One night I was screwing around with different combinations of toppings (sesame, salt, poppy, onion and garlic) making braids, onion flats and other unorthodox concoctions. I threw all the toppings on a bagel at once. It became an instant success.”

That was in 1973

It was – and still is – a big hit.

Steiner days the cinnamon bagel soon appeared and gave the everything a run.

He didn’t get the credit he deserved with this venture – but his time was coming. 

“I managed the Hard Rock Café back in the ‘80s in New York,” he said, “and later at the Sporting Club, New York City’s first full-service sports bar. I hired athletes as ‘guest bartenders’ for charity events.”

Steiner was quick to learn most of these athletes didn’t have representation for speaking engagements or corporate appearances – and a business opportunity was born.

Steiner Associates was born in 1987 – later renamed Steiner Sports – with only $4,000, a one-room office and an intern.

By the late ‘90s, Steiner Sports had dozens of employees and represented most of the big-name athletes in New York.

The company was now focusing on marketing collectible items, meet-and greets, speaking appearances, signed memorabilia (including game-used jerseys and equipment) and other products or services.

And the most popular items?

“Probably sports moments in time,” he said, “like the (Bill) Buckner World Series error, the (Carlton) Fisk World Series home run, and the (Joe) Namath guarantee Super Bowl win with the New York Jets.”

Steiner claims baseball items, jerseys and signed baseballs continue to top the list in popularity.

Today Steiner oversees a staff of 15 and is growing, he says. “And we’ve only been in operation with the Collectible Change (CXStuff.com) for 15 months,” he said.

But Brandon Steiner, who attended Syracuse University still has time for friends, and, course the old neighborhood.

“I still talk to all my buds from Brooklyn,” he said, “we have dinners every other month and Wednesdays are usually reserved for Zoom calls.”

And every morning is reserved for an Everything Bagel, thanks to Brandon Steiner.

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected].

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