The Story of Schlok’s

Ah, San Francisco. The views, the technology, the weather (sometimes), and some of the most phenomenal restaurants and bars in the world. But.. there’s one thing The City lacked: A great bagel.

After years of hearing his dad complain about “California Bagels”, Zack developed an appreciation for the East Coast bagel himself when he lived and worked in New York City. Don’t tell Mr. Schwab, but he was right. Most Californians pass over bagels in favor of an avocado toast or breakfast burrito, for good reason.

As Zack was returning home to the Golden State, James was continuing his rise in the Northern California food scene, having cooked at Jardinière and The Restaurant at Meadowood before moving to San Francisco to be a Sous Chef at Benu. Little did James or Zack know when they ended up as roommates in 2015 that years later, a pandemic and a commonly-shared appreciation for a well-executed baked good would bring them together as business partners.

In April 2020, with the restaurant industry suddenly in flux and James and Zack’s respective next ventures put on pause, the two friends decided to have some fun. Knowing James was always up for a culinary challenge, Zack floated the idea of a bagel concept and dared James to bake the best East Coast-style bagel he could. James accepted the challenge, and after extensive research on ingredients and classic techniques, he created an absolutely beautiful bagel — a bagel inspired by East Coast technique but with some San Francisco improvements. Zack’s dad even approved, so they knew they were on to something.

After a lot more R&D (read: an absurd amount of carbohydrates consumed), Schlok’s was born. James and Zack ran Schlok’s as a weekend pop-up from September 2020 through March 2021, and as word got around, the bagels started selling out within minutes each week. Encouraged by the dramatic response and demand, they signed a lease for their first shop in April 2021.

James and Zack want to give the Bay Area what it’s been missing all these years: a reliably damn good bagel.

We hope you enjoy our bagels as much as we do.