Archive                           April 2009

U of i alumni bring bagel business to campustown

By Elyse Russo
CIB staff writer
Published: Apr. 2009

Mouth-watering. Late night. Hummus. Illini. Spicy.

These are just a few of the many words that are painted on the wall at Howbowda Bagel Co., located on Green Street near Wright Street in Champaign.

"It's almost like a mission statement on the wall," said store co-owner Ryan McNeily, 23. "We're trying to embody things that people our age are going to like."

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, McNeily and co-owner Dustin Canter, 24, launched their bagel sandwich business in July. Their knowledge of their customer demographic, in addition to their commitment to stay connected to the university, has led them to develop a devoted group of customers and expand their company's services.

"I don't think we would have had the confidence to open this business in downtown Chicago as a first store, and the reason is we knew this market and this demographic so well," McNeily said. He and Canter were once Howbowda's demographic themselves: hungry college students looking to grab a late night snack or a convenient meal on the way to class. Canter and McNeily were roommates throughout college, and they both decided that they wanted to work for themselves, after they graduated. McNeily attained a bachelor's degree in English, and Canter attained a bachelor's degree in business administration.

"We have different skills that really complement each other very well," Canter said.

According to Canter, the two tossed around hundreds of ideas before recognizing the void on Campustown's Green Street: there was no place for a convenient breakfast. Howbowda's selection of 17 different steamed bagel sandwiches, Canter said, is how they differentiate themselves from competitors.

And they wouldn't settle for having the business in any location. After living on U of I's campus for so long, Canter and McNeily knew where they would get the most student foot traffic.

"We decided that if we couldn't open a store between Wright and First on Green Street that we weren't going to do it in Champaign or maybe not at all," McNeily said. Fortunately, a real estate agent found them a Green Street property that they purchased, and they spent an entire summer renovating the space themselves.

When they needed help with any of their business endeavors, they turned to the university for assistance. Their employees are U of I students, and architecture students helped them draft building plans. They also held a business logo design contest through the School of Art and Design, and the winner, Kyung Hoon Hyun, won $300. They took the winning logo to a consultant, who tweaked it slightly to create the business's logo, which includes a cartoon of a steaming bagel with feet.

"We want to involve the school as much as possible," McNeily said. "It's mutually beneficial because we didn't have a lot of money to spend, and these kids didn't have a lot of opportunities to show off their skills in a professional way."

The menu's selection even makes reference to the university.

Howbowda's most popular sandwich - sausage, egg and cheese on an egg bagel - is named the All-American Zooker after U of I football coach Ron Zook.

With a foothold established in Campustown, Howbowda Bagel has started to expand and now offers wholesale product sales, catering and delivery, Canter said.

Tammy Smith, a secretary with U of I's department of mechanical science and engineering, said she orders fruit trays, bagels and cream cheese from Howbowda Bagel for a monthly meeting of students and faculty. She has also ordered vegetable and meat trays from the company for other events so that attendees can make their own bagel sandwiches. And Howbowda Bagel delivers the items to the office.

"I think they have the best bagel in town," Smith said, adding that they remind her of the now defunct Bagelman's that was located in Champaign.

"They get five stars from me," she said.

With catering and deliveries picking up, Canter and McNeily have plans to grow their business even more. Canter said some of their ideas include offering espresso drinks, opening stores in other locations and amping up store hours.

"We're thinking of making it a 24/7 operation," he said. "I know people would really like it."

And are Howbowda's owners intimidated by the Starbucks down the street, the new Dunkin' Donuts next door or the Panera Bread that's moving in? Not at all.

"I'd just like to think that some of the big guys saw us doing well and they just jumped in," McNeily said. "There's room for competition, and it sort of lights a fire under us to constantly be innovating and improving."

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