Bagel Boutique Opens In Iconic Danny’s Drive-In Spot In Stratford

STRATFORD, CT — The owners of the new Bagel Boutique in Stratford said the home of the former iconic Danny’s Drive-In “checked all the boxes” for their newest business venture.

Bagel Boutique is owned by Chris Yantz and Scott Sanborn, who have been working in the restaurant industry for more than 35 years combined. Their business partnership began working together at a national bagel chain in 2018.

Bagel Boutique, located at 940 Ferry Boulevard, opened to the public last month, and celebrated its opening with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony with town officials on Wednesday.

The eatery is open daily for breakfast and lunch, and the menu features “everything from a Chipotle Turkey Club to a Hazelnut Banana Toast,” according to Yantz, who said there’s “something for everyone.”

“We have a fun, unique menu that leans more cafe than a typical bagel deli,” Yantz said. “We knew we needed to be different, provide the classics but also challenge the taste buds of our customers with unique flavor profiles. We make our bagels from scratch daily, allowing our dough to proof for 24-48 hours, then they are boiled and baked. This provides a great crunch and texture on the outside, and chew on the inside.”

While Yantz and Sanborn have opened many businesses for other restaurateurs and corporations, the Bagel Boutique is the first business of their own.

Yantz has an extensive background with marketing and social media promotions, while Sanborn has years of production and operational expertise.

Together, their thought process in creating the Bagel Boutique brand, and setting plans that can be repeated by a franchisee, was "We can do this better with our corporate backgrounds by producing a higher quality product, limit offerings, cross utilize SKUS and with a very systematic boutique feel WHILE adding in offerings from local retailers to support our community," according to Yantz.

While searching for a location to open the shop, Yantz and Sanborn did their research over the past two years and wanted an area that didn’t have a high density of bagel shops. They looked in Stratford and Monroe for commercial real estate that would fit the needs of baking on premise, according to Yantz.

“When the iconic 940 Ferry Blvd Stratford (Danny's) became available to lease, we did some research and realized it checked all the boxes,” Yantz said. “We want to continue Danny's tradition of friendly service in a building that has been around for decades.”

For more information, visit Bagel Boutique on Facebook here and its website here.