Mixing the Tech Blend for Bottoms Up Bagels

Boiled to perfection. Bottoms Up Bagels owners Michelle Bond and Joan Kanner have just the right ingredients – and technology – to make everything about their business stand out.   

After winning the Lenovo Evolve Small mentorship contest grand prize, the duo’s plan to spread the word about their bagel biz all around the United States just got a whole lot easier.  

Founded in Baltimore City in 2015 by two New Jersey natives. Bottoms Up Bagels (also known as BUBs) is a perfect blend of a little bit of old school, with a little bit of new school. Classic flavors reign supreme on their menu, and their specialty cream cheeses take the flavorful mix to a whole new level. It’s no question they had a formula for success that helped carry their start-up into new, exciting territory.  

Just this year, 2023, the duo won Lenovo’s Evolve Small Mentorship Contest, helping them boost their business with updated technology, and making it easier for the pair to provide excellent service when they take their business out on the road. Michelle and Joan added that, “working remotely necessitates having technology that's not only reliable, but also presents a complete brand to our customers and clients when on the road. It's really important to us — and essential for our growth.”  

Nico Garces, Lenovo’s Evolve Small Ambassador, was right by Michelle and Joan’s side throughout the tech picking process, providing just the right advice to get them equipped with everything their business needs to keep raising the bar of their success. 

New Year, New Gear: 

• Lenovo ThinkPad T14s: A commercial workhorse for managing creative content, inventories, and more.  
• Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2: A nimble, powerful laptop to bring the “office” with them on the road.  
• Lenovo Smart Tab M10 with Google Assistant: A jack-of-all-trades option to allow for order taking, bagel making, and picture capturing  
• Lenovo ThinkVision Monitors: Both a portable monitor for on-the-go access, and a dual monitor set-up for easier menu displays.  
• ThinkCentre M75q Tiny: A small footprint to power menus and displays no matter where they are.  
• Windows 11 Pro: For creating and collaborating with intuitive workflows.  
• Portable Accessories: power banks, keyboards, and more to keep operations going no matter where they are. 
• Motorola Moto Edge+: A fast, powerful mobile phone to keep the business running at all hours. 
• Premier Support: For always-on tech support, to keep a nomadic business moving, anywhere they are.  

One of the biggest additions to BUBs workflow was the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 with Google Assistant. Its sleek, slim, and lightweight design will simplify their pop-up shop experience.  

Michelle and Joan noted that, “These tablets will enable our operations to be as nimble as our production. Whether we're on the road or in our next new BUB Hub, having devices that don't take up much space and are voice enabled are exactly what's needed when the focus is on food and the people who make it.” 

Additionally, the ThinkBook 14 made for great upgrades for the Bottoms Up Bagels team. Michelle and Joan said, “we want our team members to have the information they need to excel in their roles — whether that's watching training videos on forming bagels, or pulling an SOP for making our Jocus Pocus™ (smoked jalapeño) cream cheese. These light and portable devices will prevent bottlenecks while providing support in a way that's familiar and fun to use.”  

In all, Bottoms Up Bagels now has smarter technology to back their brilliant business. For better community, business, and bagels!