This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Rebecca and Reed Beaupre, owners of Big Daddy Bagels, opened their fourth shop in Prospect, a community in south Longmont, 10 years ago.
Hailing from the East Coast, Rebecca's sister noticed that there were no locally owned bagel shops in Ft. Collins. She ventured out and had soon established a successful bagel business and was ready to expand.
Rebecca and Reed were ready to take on a new adventure and decided to help Rebecca's sister by opening and running the new bagel shop in Boulder. After Rebecca's sister moved back East, the couple ventured out on their own and renamed the shop Big Daddy Bagels. The name was chosen from a customer naming contest. Since then the couple has expanded to include three other locations Golden, Lafayette and Boulder, the fourth location is located in Longmont at 1940 Ionosphere St.
Big Daddy prides itself on using quality ingredients and making all of its food from scratch daily. The bagels are made each morning in each location by using the boil and bake method. This is different than other bagel shops, many of whom use steam ovens to mass produce their bagels.
Big Daddy found its home in Prospect due to Reed knowing a developer in the area. This friend convinced the Beaupres that Prospect was the perfect place for their shop, and the Beaupres can't agree more.
"I think the Longmont location has been wonderful for our business," says Rebecca. "The people of Longmont are really nice and really supportive."
To celebrate their tenth anniversary, on May 21, Big Daddy's will be offering a bagel with plain cream cheese to all who walk through their door. Additionally, several of their vendors will be offering samples of their wares throughout the day of celebration.
"We want to thank the Longmont community for making us successful, especially in Prospect Village," says Rebecca.
In remembering some of their favorite moments over the last years the couple discussed that they enjoyed watching some of the people who have been visiting their shop since they were children, bringing their children in for a chance to try their favorite bagels.
Reed and Rebecca like being involved in the communities where their shops are located. In Longmont, one of their favorite times to be involved was when Grossen Bart asked for their day-old rye marble bagels in order to make a new beer, the Grossen Bart Kvass.
Additionally, the couple like to give back to the community when possible, whether it be soccer groups or community events.
In the ten years, Big Daddy has gone from just bagels to include catering services. In the future, Rebecca and Reed hope to expand into one of the northern Colorado towns.
