Tom Selementi of Spread Bagelry joins Zack Oates to share how a focused product, operational discipline, and a strong understanding of guest expectations can turn a simple category into a premium experience. In a crowded market like bagels, differentiation comes less from invention and more from execution.

Owning a Simple Product (02:05)

“We are the home of the standard, the bacon, egg, and cheese.”

Rather than reinventing the menu, Tom explains how Spread Bagelry wins by elevating a familiar item. By focusing on quality ingredients and consistency, they turn a common product into a clear differentiator.

Speed Is Hospitality (05:48)

“Speed is hospitality as well.”

In breakfast and lunch, time matters more than anything. Guests are often in a rush, and fast execution signals respect. A quick, accurate experience builds trust and increases the likelihood of repeat visits.

The First Interaction Matters Most (09:29)

“Give them your undivided attention and do it as quickly as possible.”

Tom emphasizes that the guest-facing role is the most critical in any restaurant. Delays, distractions, or lack of attention at the counter can immediately damage perception, even before the food is served.

Stop Solving the Wrong Problem (11:44)

“You are controlling how the public views your brand.”

Many teams focus on internal tasks instead of the guest in front of them. Tom highlights the importance of prioritizing in-person interactions over secondary responsibilities like phone orders or back-of-house tasks.

Do More, Not Less (12:00)

“You can always do more to grow that top line.”

Instead of cutting hours or limiting service during slower periods, Tom advocates for adding value. Simple actions like greeting guests in line or offering samples can turn wait time into part of the experience.

The Shift to Experience (13:19)

“People are spending more money on experiences.”

Guest expectations have evolved. It is no longer just about the product but how the entire interaction feels. Restaurants that understand this shift and design around it are the ones that win.

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-selementi-aa794719/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/spread-bagelry/about/

https://spreadbagelry.com/

Transcript

00:00:00:09 – 00:00:25:06

Zack Oates

Welcome to another edition of Give an Ovation of the Restaurant Guest Experience podcast. I’m your host, Zack Oates, and each week I chat with industry experts to uncover their strategies and tactics to help you create a five star guest experience. This podcast is powered by ovation, the AI feedback and operations platform built for multi-day restaurants. Learn what’s actually happening in your restaurant and exactly how to improve while driving revenue.

00:00:25:07 – 00:00:43:11

Zack Oates

Learn more at ovation up.com. And today I’m really excited because we have Tom Selementi with us. And did I get your last name right. Perfect. There we go. That’s a that’s my that’s my jersey roots coming out of here Tom you go. Hey by the way, did you grow up? Were you a Tommy growing up?

00:00:43:12 – 00:00:48:05

Tom Selementi

No, no, my dad was Tommy. Oh, okay. Oh, we steered clear at Tommy. I said, call me Tom.

00:00:48:05 – 00:00:58:09

Zack Oates

He’s Tom. I got to be honest. If I met a guy named Tommy Settlement, I probably steer clear them to me because that’s, you know, they’re packing some heat. Or at least they got some cousins who got some heat, so.

00:00:58:11 – 00:01:04:03

Tom Selementi

That’s probably right. That has more presence than I do, at least in those type of circles. Yeah, sure.

00:01:04:05 – 00:01:25:06

Zack Oates

Well, Tom, I’m really excited to have you on. Not just because I love talking Jersey and he’s a fellow Jersey boy, but because he’s the CEO of Spread Bigotry. He also has been in the food business for so long. And he’s no, newbie here to breakfast. He was the CEO of Bluestone Lane, and you’ve just had a whole amazing career in the food industry.

00:01:25:12 – 00:01:45:17

Zack Oates

And so what I want to do is I want to dive into this with you, understand a little bit more about why spread re what the room is and how you compete in this crowded market, and your thoughts and guest experience, because when you look at bagels, it’s like, man, that’s a really competitive industry and there’s a lot of people in there.

00:01:45:17 – 00:02:05:11

Zack Oates

And like, you and I were talking right before we hit record that there’s a bagel shop that I like to go to, and it’s not like an amazing bagel shop, but it’s the one that I’ve always gone to, and so it’s hard for me to switch. And so when you look at spread and you look at what you’re doing, why do you think spread is working?

00:02:05:12 – 00:02:11:13

Zack Oates

And by the way, I know you’re growing really quickly. Last I checked, you had, what, 17 locations in four states. Are you?

00:02:11:14 – 00:02:39:24

Tom Selementi

Yeah. Yeah, that’s exactly right. 17 locations, four states and a growth plan through 2028 to more than double that. But spreads differentiating fact wide spread bakery Woodfired bagels. Right. The old deck oven in new Jersey. New Jersey bagels, five tiers. The woodfired gives you a little crispier exterior, a chewier interior. It’s a delicious bagel, but we are the home of the standard the bacon, egg, and cheese.

00:02:39:24 – 00:03:02:12

Tom Selementi

The best breakfast sandwich in the business. It’s two folded eggs, thick cut bacon that’s, smoked for 18 hours. And then we use Cooper Sharp on there. It’s a big, hearty breakfast sandwich. And, that’s our real differentiator. There’s a breakfast sandwich at pretty much every fast food place. Almost every bagel shop. You can get a bacon, egg, and cheese at a lot of time.

00:03:02:12 – 00:03:14:18

Tom Selementi

It’s a fried egg, a couple thin slices of bacon, and a slice of American cheese. Or is as much different than that. We’re occupying the premium space for, bagel slash breakfast sandwich. Operator.

00:03:14:20 – 00:03:41:23

Zack Oates

And I love that because you look at something like a bacon, egg and cheese and it’s like, yeah, PB and J, right? But the fact that you could own that, and the fact that you could make that a real differentiator is powerful because there’s people who are like, man, if I’m going to spend my calories, especially now that we’ve got this crazy cocktail of tough economy and ozempic, which is like those two things combined, means that I’m not usually buying expensive 1200 calorie sandwiches.

00:03:42:00 – 00:03:46:03

Zack Oates

Yeah, but if I’m going to do it, I want it to be the best.

00:03:46:05 – 00:04:09:18

Tom Selementi

It better be good. Right? And you’re having all of those premium ingredients on a woodfired bagel. It is truly an experience. Like you said, bagel is a habit, right? It’s nostalgia. We’ve got to be your every day, right? So spread bagel re open 6 a.m. every day. We’re not trying to capture a touristy part. We want to be it the community that we serve where you’re everyday space.

00:04:09:18 – 00:04:32:02

Tom Selementi

We’re open at 6 a.m. that’s for teachers. That’s for contract matters. That’s for people that work in hospitals eg nurses, doctors and we’re really leaning into the communities that we serve and growing up in North Jersey, there’s a bagel shop in every community and some have two. But the rest of the United States, that’s not the case.

00:04:32:02 – 00:04:58:19

Tom Selementi

Right. So as you said, the bagel space is getting pretty competitive right now. Yeah. That’s true. And agree with that. And I think a lot of people are seeing what we’re seeing that people want a great breakfast sandwich. And a bagel does translate across many different markets. And where spread differentiates is we’re going to be woodfired always. And the bacon, egg and cheese is the best in that business.

00:04:58:19 – 00:05:02:18

Tom Selementi

And we also have many other ways that you can top a bagel.

00:05:02:20 – 00:05:22:11

Zack Oates

But I think that just that principle of sometimes you may not need to reinvent the wheel, just make a better wheel. And that’s the whole concept. When you look at what can restaurants do to differentiate, really think about taking like your best menu item. How do you make it even better? How do you elevate. That’s right.

00:05:22:13 – 00:05:48:07

Tom Selementi

Yeah that’s right. And more to that is the experience right. So a way a restaurant differentiates from another restaurant, another bagel shop is how does it make you feel when you go in there. How does the team make you feel? How is the entire experience? The experience at Spread Bakery is one of you know, you’re going to get greeted as soon as you walk in the door.

00:05:48:09 – 00:06:08:15

Tom Selementi

People are in uniform. They’re going to make it fast, right? But they’re making it to order. These are not sandwiches that are sitting under a heat lamp. We can make a standard, which is the bacon, egg and cheese in 45 seconds because we are there on the flattop. That’s the bread. So in the.

00:06:08:15 – 00:06:09:05

Zack Oates

Morning.

00:06:09:05 – 00:06:42:04

Tom Selementi

On lunch, I really believe and we believe it’s spread speed is hospitality as well. The worst thing someone’s going to say at breakfast, if your breakfast sandwich comes out really fast is, wow, that was fast. That’s it. The best thing they got to say is, man, I’ll see you tomorrow. Yeah, right. Yeah. Because now they have a lot of trust in you and where a lot of brands miss on breakfast and lunch is, they undervalue the person at the counter’s time.

00:06:42:06 – 00:06:56:05

Tom Selementi

And we really value it. We know that you’re in a hurry and we’re going to get it to you fast. But if you want to dine in, you can do that. We’re going to serve it on a plate for you. And if you’re taking it to go, you’ll get it in the brown bag. So we do have a lot of differentiators at Spread Bakery.

00:06:56:07 – 00:07:06:03

Tom Selementi

And we’re leaning into those not to say, hey, look how different we are. Just saying, yeah, we’re a little bit more premium offering than the predecessors in the space.

00:07:06:08 – 00:07:27:15

Zack Oates

Yeah, I love that. And I think that you got to have that hospitality because it’s not like in New York you could open up an average shop, and if you’re in a good location, you know, you could afford $40,000 a month rent, you know, but most people can’t. Like, I remember I went to I went to a bagel shop one time with someone who had never been to a New York bagel shop.

00:07:27:17 – 00:07:47:03

Zack Oates

He gets up to the front of the line and obviously, you know, I mean, the line is like out the door. It is moving. It’s a constant slow walk, right? Because it’s just boom, boom, boom. He gets up to the front of the line and this is what he does. He goes, so, what’s good here?

00:07:47:05 – 00:07:49:20

Tom Selementi

Only New York can will laugh. Yeah.

00:07:49:22 – 00:07:50:14

Zack Oates

Exactly.

00:07:50:18 – 00:07:54:09

Tom Selementi

You got me on that. That punchline myth right.

00:07:54:11 – 00:07:58:08

Zack Oates

And there’s people in Michigan right now listening. They’re like, wait, what’s funny?

00:07:58:08 – 00:07:59:22

Tom Selementi

What’s wrong with. Yeah, that’s.

00:08:00:00 – 00:08:00:23

Zack Oates

That’s a it’s a.

00:08:01:00 – 00:08:01:11

Tom Selementi

Logical.

00:08:01:11 – 00:08:13:11

Zack Oates

Question. Yeah, exactly. But it’s like there I mean he said it to the back of the line and then he was like oh no, no I’ll just order. And so he panicked and he’s like, I’ll get a everything bagel with strawberry cream cheese. And the guy was like.

00:08:13:11 – 00:08:13:21

Tom Selementi

Man.

00:08:14:01 – 00:08:18:01

Zack Oates

I’m not kidding you. Well, he goes, I’m not kidding.

00:08:18:03 – 00:08:23:11

Tom Selementi

And so, you know, you’re back there. You but you can’t come back till tomorrow. Right?

00:08:23:13 – 00:08:43:12

Zack Oates

But this is so funny that, you know, it’s like people don’t get that and you can do that outside. But when you’re trying to be that community restaurant, you got to make sure you have that connection with it. You got to make sure that you have that heart because that’s what it’s all about. And so as you think about the guest experience, Tom, what do you think is the most important aspect of guest experience nowadays?

00:08:43:14 – 00:09:06:15

Tom Selementi

Covid changed everything when it comes to breakfast, lunch, guest experience. People change their habits a lot. With Covid, right? They started to value their time together more so. Right. Less so, like, hey, we’re going to get to together for dinner and spend three hours. Now it’s, hey, we’re going to spend 30 minutes for lunch, get a coffee.

00:09:06:17 – 00:09:29:20

Tom Selementi

And this. So again, I’m going to lean into speed and really a company a hospitality group, restaurant company. They put themselves into the guest’s shoes and are able to do that with every employee in the business and help them understand, hey, the person that just walked in the door, okay, I just had to find parking for seven minutes, right?

00:09:29:22 – 00:09:53:09

Tom Selementi

They have an appointment that they’re already late for, okay. And they’re trying to now get something into their stomachs as quickly as possible. Don’t do anything but give them your undivided attention and do it as quickly as possible. Right. So the I’m having a conversation with somebody else on the team or oh, let me just finish this phone order.

00:09:53:09 – 00:10:12:19

Tom Selementi

That kind of stuff infuriates people at this point, right? If I walk into a restaurant and the hosts, if it’s a full service restaurant, is talking to a guest on the phone, they’ve got it all wrong. There’s I that can have that exact conversation right now. Have your host greet and get them to the table as soon as possible.

00:10:12:19 – 00:10:34:08

Tom Selementi

If the person that is supposed to be taking the orders and a quick service environment is backing up to go orders, they’re doing the wrong job. You have somebody else that needs to be doing that, because the job that is guest facing is the most important in the business, and they are controlling how the public views your brain.

00:10:34:10 – 00:10:56:06

Zack Oates

Yeah, I think that’s so powerful. I think about going into a pizza joint and I waited in line for like probably 30 minutes. And this is supposed to be like a very fast pizza joint. And I get up to the front of the line and this is what happened. Can I take your order? I was greeted with the with the hey, wait finger.

00:10:56:06 – 00:11:14:20

Zack Oates

And I’m like, where I’m from. Like, that’s more rude than the other finger. I’m here. Like, treat me like I drove here. I spent the time to wait in this line. And I felt so unseen at that moment that it took me like, two years before I went back to that brand.

00:11:14:22 – 00:11:44:07

Tom Selementi

And that’s not a Zack only response. That’s everybody now, right? Our time is so valuable. That person was solving their problem. At the moment. I’m so busy that I can’t give you the proper attention. I am doing everything I can to spend my hard earned money in this establishment, and you won’t let me do it. I’ll have these conversations on the baseball field with other parents and but also in the boardrooms, you know what I mean?

00:11:44:13 – 00:11:54:14

Tom Selementi

And this is the ultimate problem to solve. And at spread we are just leaning into hospitality execution speed, hospitality execution speed.

00:11:54:16 – 00:12:00:09

Zack Oates

And are there any, any tactics that you’ve seen in your career that have that have helped to improve the guest experience?

00:12:00:11 – 00:12:07:08

Tom Selementi

Yeah. Look, I’m in a more as more type of person. Right? So so not wait. Not unless.

00:12:07:09 – 00:12:08:02

Zack Oates

Let me write this.

00:12:08:02 – 00:12:10:02

Tom Selementi

Down. Yeah. Or is.

00:12:10:02 – 00:12:10:19

Zack Oates

More okay.

00:12:11:00 – 00:12:31:02

Tom Selementi

Got it. Right. So more as my hours of operation extended. Don’t look at your when your times when you’re slower and say hey, I got to close earlier or open later, go for it and stuff it to where. Right when you have the busiest period that you have. Don’t say I can’t fit any other people here or any other folks.

00:12:31:02 – 00:12:48:22

Tom Selementi

And we’re fully staffed. Think about putting someone outside to greet people that are on the line, right? And say, hey, I’m sorry about the wait, but here’s a little piece of bagel for you. And that’s just getting out of the oven. You can always do more to grow that top line, but the way that you do it is make the experience great.

00:12:48:23 – 00:12:50:11

Tom Selementi

Make the experience memorable.

00:12:50:16 – 00:13:19:22

Zack Oates

Yeah, I love that. And I love this whole the word that I keep hearing from you is experience. And that’s what’s required nowadays is an experience. If you are just pushing a product, look, unless you are lucky enough to be in a spot where you’ve got a captive audience and there’s nowhere else they can go, then you got to be thinking about the experience of the guests, and not just in terms of making it good, but making it memorable, which I love how you mentioned that.

00:13:19:24 – 00:13:46:12

Tom Selementi

Yeah, no thank you. The Experience Economy is a book that came out in the 90s and what they talked about was that people are spending less money on products and more money on experiences, right? So in their analogy that they start the book with is the birthday kid’s birthday, right? The years ago, your mother bought flour, sugar, eggs, milk and baked your cake right?

00:13:46:14 – 00:14:12:11

Tom Selementi

Then moved to you, bought the cake at Shoprite or whatever your supermarket of choice is. And it’s, we go to this place for the birthday party, and now it’s this massive event where they’re jumping on trampolines and this. And the cake is just a little side piece of it, right? I don’t know what your birthday parties were like growing up, but growing up, they were very small.

00:14:12:13 – 00:14:20:10

Tom Selementi

And now every birthday party is an event. And we look at running restaurants is what’s the experience people want.

00:14:20:13 – 00:14:32:09

Zack Oates

Yeah. And realizing that those expectations have shifted and you could fight it or you could embrace it and win. So I love that. Well, Tom, who’s someone that we should be following, who’s someone who deserves innovation.

00:14:32:11 – 00:14:58:01

Tom Selementi

Yeah. So you mentioned bluestone earlier and the CEO that is there now, Matt Christie is just probably the best operator I’ve ever worked with. And I work with a lot of great operators I do now at spread in other places. And Matt is somebody who has taken a situation in Bluestone Lane, right. That is a tough place to reach the expectations because it’s premium.

00:14:58:03 – 00:15:26:19

Tom Selementi

It’s Australians are cafe, it’s cooked to order, it’s premium coffee. It’s a lot of things. And he’s really gotten his team to buy into his operational vision and has kept experience top of mind. Someone who’s going to do great things, he’s already doing great things. Clear, blue. So link clearly, but Matt Christie’s career is going to be long and fantastic, and somebody that I think you should look at and blue somebody and as a brand is something that I, is still very close to.

00:15:26:21 – 00:15:32:11

Zack Oates

Awesome, awesome. Well, Tom, how do people find and follow Spread Bakery and you.

00:15:32:13 – 00:15:53:02

Tom Selementi

Yeah. Spread bakery. We’re in the northeast. We’re in Philadelphia. Right. In 13 locations here in the Philadelphia area. We’re in the southeast as well. Savannah, Charleston, Mount Pleasant. We just entered to Atlanta, and our growth is primarily going to be in those two places that spread. But you can find us on Instagram. You can find us on Tick Tock.

00:15:53:02 – 00:16:10:19

Tom Selementi

You can Google Spread Bakery and find the closest location to you. We can get to you through DoorDash, Uber Eats. But we really love to for you to come into our restaurants. Try is 6 a.m., open, 6 a.m. everywhere, and we’re out there winning in the morning and we’re winning your weekend to love it.

00:16:10:21 – 00:16:20:17

Zack Oates

Well, Mr. Tom element for reminding us that bacon, egg and cheese can be a differentiator. Today’s ovation goes to you. Thank you for joining us on Given Ovation.

00:16:20:19 – 00:16:23:00

Tom Selementi

Thank you Zach. Let’s see it.

00:16:23:02 – 00:16:45:14

Zack Oates

Thanks for joining us today. If you like this episode, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen. We’re all about feedback here. Again, this episode was sponsored by ovation, a two question, SMS based, actionable guest feedback platform built for multi-unit restaurants. If you’d like to learn how we can help you measure and create a better guest experience, visit us at Ovation up.com.