New Bagel Store Thrives in Butler

A new restaurant opened at 138 Main Street in Butler in August, and the owner, Mike Jarwan, says business has been great. has a steady customer base and is flourishing when many businesses are struggling to stay open.

Jarwan, who lives in upstate N.Y., bought the business from Butler Hot Bagels. It’s not his first restaurant — he and an uncle own several others in Passaic and Bergen counties, and in other states. His family has been in the restaurant business since he was a child, and he's been working full-time since age 15. He jokes that he earned a degree in the food service business in “tenth grade.”

Through a combination of experience and business sense, Jarwan believed Butler would a good location to open his restaurant, despite advice others gave him.

“Everybody was telling me it’s a mistake. Don’t get this place,” he said. “They said it’s a poor area – nobody eats in Butler. They’re ‘cheeseburger’ people. They like McDonalds and Burger King.”

He researched it, and decided Butler was the right place.

“I’ve been to almost all the restaurants within five miles,” he said. The reason I decided to get this place is that there aren’t too many good places around here to eat. I see a couple of pizzerias, and you don’t want to eat pizza every day. Butler needs a place that serves healthy food. That’s what we do. I know what they have, and they know what I’m serving.

Jarwan likes to repeat the phrase, “quality, fresh, homemade.”

“We focus on healthy stuff — falafel, veggies, wraps,” he said. Everything here is top quality. Everything is fresh — our meats and chicken. Our soups and salads are homemade. The bagels are hand-rolled and boiled every day. We have 12 flavors of cream cheese.”

Before he opened, Jarwan developed a position strategy for the business. He did a complete renovation of the space, front and back. He said it was a three- to four-month project.

He chose a color scheme and decorated the entrance with professional-looking photos of his sandwiches and wraps. He coordinated the design of his printed menu and the one displayed above the counter. He hired eight people to handle cooking, prep, orders, register and deliveries.

The doors opened on August 22. Butler resident, Tracie Morris, started working there when they first opened, managing the front end. She said customers were already waiting. Many work across the street in a building that used to be a rubber mill.

“People were waiting for us to open,” she said. “They were excited.”

Morris said the first few weeks involved building up their image and reputation. They had to overcome some problems people had encountered with the previous owner.

“At first we had to get to know everybody and figure out how they like everything,” she said. "A lot of people still kind of confuse us with [Butler Hot Bagels], because it’s similar. We reassured them we were new owners, new everything.

She said mistakes do happen.

"Even if something does happen, like we mess up an order, Mike always does what he can to make sure the customer leaves happy. We’ll give you a refund. We’ll give you extra food. When you first start a business that’s what you have to do. We’ve only been open for three months.”

Jarwan said the customer comes first.

“Customer satisfaction is everything," he said. "In the beginning when we were brand new, we made a couple of mistakes. We got on track. We’re faster, no mistakes, and everything is under control. We keep it clean, keep it fresh. We have 300 people walking in.”

Morris said they do a lot of deliveries in Butler, Kinnelon, Bloomingdale, and other towns, and use these opportunities to get the word out.

“Our delivery boys go off and hand out menus to businesses, because that’s mostly what our business is during the daytime – deliveries to businesses.

Morris said they have gotten involved with the community.

“This past weekend the little football players from Bloomingdale and Butler had their super bowl. We went out there to serve food to everybody. We got a small percentage, but it raised a lot of money for Butler. It was good for our business and also good for the town," said Morris.

"It’s not really about money," she said. "It’s about helping the town and getting our name out there."

Morris said the food, prices, and location are all favorable.

“A lot of places, they say once you work there, you never eat there, but we eat here every day,” she said. “We’re the ones who handle the food and we know it’s clean. It’s nice for the convenience of not having to go on the highway. It’s right here on Main Street, and it’s actually very reasonably priced.

Jarwan said he keeps prices low through volume and a varied selection.

“I sell a lot all day. The menu is mixed up. I have Mexican, American, wraps, platters, sandwiches.”

Two new bagels, an asiago and a jalapeno-cheddar, were recent menu additions.

Jarwan gets involved in every aspect of the business, from cooking to cleaning to shopping.

“Since I bought this place, I’m here every day, even after hours. It takes me three or four hours to clean. Sometimes I don’t get out of here until one or two o’clock. I work 24-seven. Sometimes if I can’t drive home, I sleep here.

Morris said things are going really well now.

“We’re open from 5 a.m. ‘til 6 p.m. We do breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have our regulars that come every day. We have a lot of people that come when they’re dropping their kids off at school. And then, people come on Saturdays and Sundays to get bagels. We’re thinking about having a grand opening in December.

"Now, I feel like we’ve got it under control,” Morris said. “Saturdays and Sundays are our busiest days, and we look at each other and say, ‘Wow, it was so easy.’”