All the stress around buying a car can really make you famished. Jacob Anson has an answer for that: his sandwich shop, Brazen Bagels, located in the Village Ford dealership in Dearborn, Michigan.
Anson, 31, started making hand-rolled, New York-style bagels in his home kitchen after quitting his job — selling used tires for an automotive aftermarket company — in the summer of 2021, he says. He spent four months practicing to perfect his recipe, while working as a DoorDash delivery driver to make ends meet, before deciding to sell the bagels as another income stream.
He started selling through Instagram and Facebook in February 2022, and snagged some morning kitchen space in a local burger restaurant two months later. In June 2023, the Ford dealership — which already placed frequent bagel delivery orders — invited Anson to move into its small café space full-time.
Over the next 12 months, Anson’s shop brought in about $130,000 in revenue, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. That number grew to $200,000 between June 2024 and June 2025, and it’s projected to reach $250,000 over the ensuing 12 months, says Anson. Brazen Bagels is currently profitable, and Anson and his wife collectively earn roughly $100,000 per year from the business, he says.
