Belfast bagel firm reveals the 'power of technology'

Bodega Bagels initially began with two people working from a small garage two years ago to now operating two shop locations with 14 members of staff.

When NI was still reeling from the impact of the pandemic, Steven Orr pursued his passion and set up the New York City-inspired bagel shop in Belfast.

Alongside his partner and Bodega co-founder Kirsty Winter, Steve converted his garage into a bakery and set up his Instagram page and website which were key to getting the word out to customers, receiving orders and the business going.

Speaking about the role technology played in the thinking behind Bodega, Steve said: “With no similar businesses to draw inspiration from locally and no way to get on a plane to the USA during Covid-19, I learnt everything I know about running a bagel shop online. Youtube, Instagram and Reddit played a massive role in giving me the knowledge and tools to take the leap.

“Through my online search I got in touch with a New York-based influencer @brooklynbagelblog as well as Scott Rossillo, owner of the Brooklyn Bagel shop and renowned for inventing the rainbow bagel. Without being able to get in touch with people in New York City through social media and video calling, Bodega Bagels would never have been as authentic and as it is today.

“From week one we sold out within 20 minutes and even as we increased in capacity, we sold out of bagels every week. That was largely due to the buzz we created on social media - as more people posted pictures of their bagels, we got busier with online orders. We were effectively an online-only business for the first four months of trading. Without Full Fibre broadband technology, none of it would have been possible during lockdown.

“I worked in IT as a project manager for the past 10 years so I was well versed in the power of technology, but still had no idea how much I would rely on it.”

Now as a 14-strong company with two locations across Belfast, Bodega continues to rely on digital connectivity through future proofed Full Fibre broadband.

Steve continued: “We use a cloud-based rota app for scheduling and driving new customers to our website via Instagram and TikTok and we share online spreadsheets with our accountancy firm for timesheets to run payroll, as well as with our wholesaler suppliers for weekly ordering of inventory.

"Where possible I want to be able to run every aspect of Bodega from ordering, stock levels, staffing and promotion from my phone. Bodega has been entirely built as an online business that just happens to now be a bricks and mortar bakery.”

Openreach NI is leading the charge in ensuring the region has a future-proof broadband network capable of meeting these demand.

Openreach NI director Garret Kavanagh, added: “We are delighted to hear about the impact Openreach NI’s build programme has had across businesses in NI.

"It is fantastic that having access to Full Fibre technology has opened up endless opportunities, even encouraging the set-up of new businesses throughout the most challenging of times during the pandemic.”