Today we’d like to introduce you to Fortesa DiFonzo.
Fortesa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started with a conversation between my brother, Altrim, and me about how much we loved bagels. After we hung up, he decided to try making them at home, and we quickly realized that making a really great bagel wasn’t as easy as it looked!
Over the next few years, we spent countless hours experimenting, tweaking recipes, and perfecting our technique until we finally created a bagel we were proud of. We started sharing them with friends and family, and before long, everyone was telling us the same thing: “You need to open a bagel shop!”
So we decided to take the leap. My husband, Thomas, came up with the name Saved by the Bagel, a tribute to his favorite childhood show, Saved by the Bell, and our longtime friend Veton joined us to help bring the dream to life.
Today, we’re proud to serve fresh, hand rolled bagels made with quality ingredients. Our goal is simple: make great bagels, create a welcoming place for our community, and share a little bit of 90s nostalgia along the way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been a fun journey, but honestly, there have been a lot of challenges. When you start a business, you’re constantly running into obstacles, from figuring out how to make the kitchen run smoother, to keeping the bagels consistent, to just getting noticed in a crowded market. And building our brand and finding ways to genuinely connect with the community has been just as much of a learning curve as anything happening behind the counter.
We’ve had to learn a ton along the way. We’re always reading, listening to podcasts, trying new things. Our motto is “try to be a little bit better every day,” and we really do try to live by that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Saved by the Bagel is a hand-rolled bagel shop with a fun, 90s-inspired feel. We make our bagels the old-school way, hand-rolled, boiled, and baked fresh every morning. What makes us different is how much care we put into everything. We spent years tweaking our recipe to get it just right, and we’re really proud of it. Now we’re focused on serving great bagels and creating a space that feels welcoming and familiar. At the end of the day, we’re a small team doing what we love and hoping people enjoy it as much as we do.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Absolutely. One of the biggest things we’ve learned is that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. We were fortunate to get advice and support from other bagel shop owners, especially the team at THB Bagelry & Deli in Maryland, who were incredibly generous with their time and advice.
We also leaned on family members and friends throughout the DFW area who own restaurants. Having people who had already been through the ups and downs of running a business was incredibly helpful and gave us a lot of perspective.
We also believe in supporting other small businesses whenever we can and are always open to collaborating. Building relationships and learning from one another has been one of the most rewarding parts of owning a business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://savedbythebagel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savedbythebageltx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SavedByTheBagel/
