NORTH YORK, Ont. – Kiva’s Bagels opened in 1979, and now 30 years later the owner of the bakery and restaurant has celebrated the sale of its 30-millionth bagel… well, sort of.
There’s no telling when the actual 30-millionth bagel was sold, but based on the knowledge that three thousand of the traditional hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels are sold every day, the milestone date was approximated.
Today (Nov. 9) was the day. As a packed restaurant of diners enjoyed a Kiva’s breakfast, Harold Tonken was picked at random as the lucky customer. He won $360 — which is a number symbolic of good health in the Hebrew culture — a trophy, a giant bagel and a prize package to mark the special occasion. “It’s an honour. I’m here every morning,” said the grinning customer, who eats with his three buddies at the family run eatery daily. “The bagels are great.”
“Every five years we’ll celebrate like this,” notes the restaurant’s president Ben Rafael. “It sounds like a big number, but the bagels add up quick.” Rafael has helmed the company for the past 10 years. The passionate family man bought it from the original owners who he worked for as a dishwasher when the bakery opened in 1979.
