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April 4, 2016

Scratch Baking's new 'bagel bar' to cut long lines

It’s about to get a whole lot easier to buy your morning bagels at the popular South Portland-based Scratch Baking Co.

The bakery announced it will move its bagel- and bread-baking operation out of its Willard Square location and into a former Getty station on the corner of Sawyer Street and Broadway.

“People need more bagels,” Sonja Swanberg, co-owner of the bakery told the Portland Press Herald. “Several customers have told us the mystique of standing in line on a hot July morning has worn off.”

Although Swanberg told the Press Herald that the move of Scratch’s bagel- and bread-baking operations out of Willard Square might not guarantee the disappearance of its long lines for their freshly made bagels, her estimate of a 25% increase in daily bagel output is sure to cut the wait significantly. It’s also a larger space.

Aside from the shortened wait lengths, Swanberg said customers will see little change at Scratch’s current location — but the movement of its bread and bagel production to an off-site location will provide some much-needed breathing room for the company’s pastry chefs.

“Right now, space-wise for the pastry team, things are really tight, especially during the summer,” Swanberg said. “Often, at the busiest times, we run out of a lot of things, or we turn away special orders.”

In addition to moving baking operations to the former Getty location, the new site will also serve as a low-key “bagel and toast bar,” according to Swanberg. Currently, Scratch is expected to open the doors to the new location by mid-summer.

Read more

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