Goldbergs Bagel Empire Celebrates Golden Anniversary

On May 10, a gold-dusted bagel arrived at the Atlanta Jewish Times office. In the white box, along with the golden bagel and golden cream cheese, was a golden cheese spreader commemorating the golden anniversary of Goldbergs — one of the city’s longest-lived eateries and, at 50 years young, a beloved Atlanta bagel institution and New York-style deli.

What began as a walk-up deli concept on Roswell Road back in 1972 has not only stood the test of time but grown into a bagel empire that now includes sit-down dining, catering, retail products — including frozen foods and take-home meals — as well as a food truck. Not long ago, it beat out 27 larger companies to provide inflight meals for major airlines and sky clubs, preparing over 1 million meals each month.

Wayne Saxe and Howard Aaron, who emigrated to Atlanta from South Africa, bought the bagel shop from the original owners in 1993.

To try and grasp the scale of the Goldbergs operation, imagine running through one ton of cream cheese, 2,000 lbs. of smoked salmon and 5,000 lbs. of corned beef per week, not to mention rolling and baking 15,000 bagels every day.

Stacked on top of one another, that’s more than enough to tower over Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper, the Bank of America Plaza, which is only 6,138 bagels tall!

Howard Aaron and Wayne Saxe, the current owners, took over from the shop’s founder in 1993 and vastly expanded the offerings from six bagel varieties to 21. Both Saxe and Aaron immigrated to the U.S. from South Africa at an early age.

“We have come a long way since then and are incredibly honored to continue to serve the community with our quality food and service,” Saxe said.

Longing for the comforting, heimishe cooking of their Jewish grandmothers back home, they searched all over Atlanta in vain until friends pointed them in the direction of Goldberg & Son, where they discovered bagels as tasty as the ones they had eaten as children in Johannesburg. With Saxe’s background in accounting and Aaron’s expertise in food service, they have formed an enduring partnership that has lasted decades.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Goldbergs with our neighbors and visitors in the greater metro Atlanta area and highlight the big milestone with some golden delights,” said Saxe, president and CEO of Goldbergs Group, the parent company of Goldbergs Fine Foods.

When the hands-on pair first took over, Aaron was baking and Saxe was in charge of the register and customer service.

“When Howard and I purchased the flagship Goldbergs in 1993, just the two of us and a few employees were running the shop. Howard was baking, and I was taking care of the register and customer service. We have come a long way since then and are incredibly honored to continue to serve the community with our quality food and service.”

What hasn’t changed over the years is the traditional recipe. Using an Old-World method, the hand-rolled bagels are boiled, then left to rest on redwood boards before being placed in the oven at 500 degrees to rotate until browned and crispy.

Today, Goldbergs operates nine locations, including three in the Atlanta International Airport and one at the Battery in the Atlanta Braves Stadium, serving Keto and gluten-free options in addition to the beloved staples.

Goldbergs operates nine locations, including one at the Battery in the Atlanta Braves Stadium, which serves special Braves-themed bagel.

If you’re not in the mood for bagels, try the Po’ Boys, which haven’t changed since 1972, either. Each Goldberg’s location prepares three or four dozen of these famous sandwiches every morning, carefully layering the salami, pastrami, corned beef, turkey, Swiss cheese and pickles on homemade bread.

With ambitious new bagel startups launching every few months, there’s no time to rest one’s laurels, so to speak. But, if the last six years atop the AJT’s Best of Bagel category is any indication, in 2022, Goldbergs is in a league of its own.