Bagels, Pizza And The World Cup: West Orange Business Owner Takes Wild Ride To Success

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Just a few years ago, Jarrett Seltzer woke up with a mere $187 left in the company account for Bagels By Jarrett, his new eatery in West Orange. It wasn’t the best of days, he says.

“I broke down,” the former punk rock bassist recalled in a recent social media post.

“I was in tears and asked my wife WTF I was doing, working seven days a week with nothing to show for it,” Seltzer continued. “She didn’t sugarcoat it – she simply asked me what I was gonna do.”

“I told her I was gonna figure it out… and we did,” he said.

Things have certainly come full circle for Seltzer and Bagels By Jarrett, which has become one of West Orange’s most popular restaurants since launching in 2020. The culinary ambitions of the “most confused bagel shop you’ve ever loved” have grown by leaps and bounds from its initial offerings of expertly made bagels, with the menu now including sandwiches, pastas, burgers and wings.

And then there’s the pizza.

Cooked in the restaurant’s slice shop, the pies that Seltzer and crew have been slinging have earned rave reviews from many local foodies. They have also captured the attention of two World Cup soccer clubs.

The Norway national team recently celebrated their stunning quarterfinals win over Brazil with a feast courtesy of Bagels By Jarrett, ordering up a round of pizzas after the game. Seltzer said the Norwegians finished 18 pies in 25 minutes – which he described as an honor.

The FIFA feasting wasn’t over, though.

Hours after winning the World Cup, Spain's national team became the second pro soccer club to try out a pie from Bagels By Jarrett. They picked a good time: their order came about an hour after Seltzer and his staff finalized a new pizza dough recipe he had been developing for months.

“Champions are eating our pizza tonight,” he boasted.

• Related: Pro Soccer Team Chows Down On Pizzas From West Orange Restaurant
• Related: This NJ Eatery Fed World Cup Winners

The frenzy of activity – and ensuing news coverage – has brought a fresh wave of fame Seltzer’s way.

Earlier this week, the West Orange Township Council presented the local restaurateur with a special proclamation that honored his recent success, as well as his ongoing community outreach, which has included rounding up frozen holiday turkeys for a township food pantry.

“I think there’s never been a time when he’s been asked to contribute to some worthy cause that he hasn’t stepped up [to],” Council President Susan Scarpa said, calling Seltzer an “invaluable resource for our community.”

The council’s proclamation called out his recent World Cup pizza sales, which “showcased both the excellence of his establishment and his pride in representing the township of West Orange on the international stage.”

Seltzer’s reply to the council was short and humble.

“Very cool of you,” he said, adding a brief mention about the shop’s origin of “giving out bagels from home” during the coronavirus pandemic – which turned into a successful brick and mortar business.

He also thanked his customers and the local community, saying that they “kept us afloat through good and bad.”

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Seltzer has also been grateful to his staff at BXJ, calling their work “unbelievable” during the World Cup festivities. Other people who he has thanked include his family – largely for “accepting the fact that Dad had to do what dad needed to do to make sure the shop didn’t burn down.”

Through it all, the life of a chef and restaurant owner continue to bring unexpected – and sometimes stressful – moments into Seltzer’s workday. Like the time that he had to grab a kitchen knife to keep a DoorDasher at bay while police arrived. Or the time that he found a guy in the parking lot who seemed like he was having a stroke – but was just really drunk.

It’s all part of the wild ride that has been Bagels By Jarrett, he says.

“Love you all, thank you,” Seltzer said while recapping his exciting World Cup week in West Orange.

• Related: West Orange Bagel Shop Celebrates Strange (But Successful) Year

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