The Once-Popular Restaurant Chain That Founded Einstein Bros. Bagels

If you've ever wondered about the kind of genius it took to parlay the simple bagel into colossal chain success, the answer might come as a bit of a surprise. The ubiquitous carb slinger Einstein Bros. Bagels was founded not by some little neighborhood baker, or even a corporate flour behemoth in a brilliant bid for brand synergy, but by a company that, at first, might not sound familiar at all: Boston Chicken.

Boston Chicken approximated homemade meals for busy households around the United States for a fair share of the '80s and '90s. It first opened in Massachusetts in 1985, and made its name primarily on, of course, chicken. A decade later, in 1995, the brand repositioned itself more broadly as Boston Market It also started scooping up bagel shops that same year, operating them under the Einstein umbrella and continuing to create new ones to match the burgeoning house style. But titling the company so prominently for old Beantown couldn't quite entice an increasingly fast-casual-loving public, and today, the practically defunct chain's locations reportedly are reportedly in the teens. Meanwhile, Einstein Bros. Bagels shops number in the high hundreds. That hearty collection, however, is now part of Panera Brands (and has been since 2021) .

Three decades after swiping its first schmear, you can find an Einstein Bros. outpost in most states. You'll find the highest concentrations in Texas, Florida, and Colorado, with a notable absence in our nation's bagel capital, New York City. Those more Einstein-rich environments offer plenty of options for one, in addition to bagels by the dozen-plus with a full complement of cream cheese flavors like veggie, strawberry, honey almond, jalapeño salsa, and, of course, crowd-pleasing plain. The chain has added items over the years, like the puzzling "party bagels" that were actually doughnuts, but the original rings remain Einstein Bros.' raison d'etre.

Boston Market also keeps on clucking, albeit at a lower volume. You're statistically unlikely to be presently situated near one of its smattering of locations, which offer the chain's signature menu of comfort food items like meatloaf, holiday ham, ribs, and pot pies. Geographically disadvantaged fans may be able to find some solace in their local grocery store's frozen food aisle, where they could encounter Boston Market Home Style Meals, a line of seemingly well-liked frozen entrees inspired by the restaurant. Meanwhile, Boston Market's website still touts its once-titular chicken as irresistible (a sentiment shared by customers online). Should you happen to get your own claws on one, don't overlook the many uses for leftover rotisserie chicken.