Pizzeria and Bagel Store Opens in Virginia Beach with New York WaterMaker

Virginia Beach-based, Brooklyn Bagels and Brooklyn Pizzeria, brings New York pizza and bagels to Virginia Beach courtesy of New York WaterMaker’s™ patent-pending water source replication system.

Restaurant owner and native New Yorker, Charlie Cohen went from owning six tire shops throughout Hampton Roads to opening up a bagel shop and a pizzeria. Since moving to Virginia, Charlie missed authentic New York pizza and bagels. So, after 15 years in the auto industry, he followed his passion. And he is no stranger to the restaurant business – his family has owned restaurants in New York for the last 42 years. Additionally, his wife, Shannon also grew up in the restaurant business, her grandparents owned a cafeteria in downtown Portsmouth, VA for more than 30 years.

“We love living in Virginia Beach, but the one thing we were missing were authentic NY bagels, so I decided I would come up with the perfect recipe in an effort to replicate bagels that New York is most famous for,” said Charlie Cohen, owner, Brooklyn Bagels and Brooklyn Pizzeria. “After six months of trying various recipes and techniques, I fell short every time. But after visiting my family in New York and trying the recipe, the bagels came out perfect. At that point, I knew it was the water. So, after researching how to get New York water to Virginia, I discovered New York WaterMaker.”

Today, Brooklyn Bagels sells around 3,500 bagels and Brooklyn Pizzeria around 1,500 pizzas a week. “Our customers comment on the crunch of the crust which comes from the New York WaterMaker water system as well as the taste of our coffee and soda which also uses the NY water,” added Charlie. “All of our new customers who are skeptical of our system and think that the water is an advertising gimmick are given a water test. We give them a shot of Virginia tap water and then a shot of our New York water and let them taste the difference. When making bagels with New York water instead of Virginia Beach water, our bagels also average 6.5-6.7 ounces each while our competitors weigh in at only 3 ounces. The texture and the taste and the color is also greatly improved; it makes a huge difference!”

“The greatest validation of our technology is the immediate and sustained success of every location nationwide who had the foresight to install a New York WaterMaker in their business, said Paul Errigo, CEO of New York WaterMaker. “Our clients continually send us pictures and videos of their locations flooded with lines out the door, and thanking us for helping them create a successful business, as you can see by googling New York WaterMaker. There is nothing more rewarding for us than helping entrepreneurs succeed.”

Both of Mr. Cohen’s businesses, Brooklyn Pizza and Brooklyn Bagels, have been so successful that Charlie is currently scouting locations for expansion.

For an inside look at why New York water tastes so good, and why it is ideal for baking, check out this YouTube video.