Bibi’s Owner Dan Messinger Reflects on 10 Years in the Business

It was Hanukkah of 2011 when Dan Messinger officially took over as the new owner of Bibi’s Bakery & Café on West Pico Blvd. He had never worked in the food business, but it was always his dream to one day have a restaurant. Fresh off a career in marketing and television production, he started baking bagels, preparing pitas and serving sufganiyot at the Israeli-style café. 

“It was literally like jumping into a fire,” he said. “It was one of the busiest times of the year. When I look back and think about whether or not it was foolish to do that, I think it’s better to jump in when it’s crazy and just go from there.”

Wanting a career change 10 years ago, Messinger began looking into businesses for sale around Los Angeles. When he saw that a kosher restaurant in Pico-Robertson, his neighborhood, was available, it seemed like it was fate.

“People talk about the food business being exceptionally hard – especially the kosher food business. It’s true, but it’s definitely rewarding.”
— Dan Messinger

“I thought Bibi’s would benefit from some fresh energy,” he said. “I wanted to give it a shot. I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into, as anyone who starts a new business would. People talk about the food business being exceptionally hard – especially the kosher food business. It’s true, but it’s definitely rewarding.”

Messinger is the third owner of Bibi’s; the first owner opened it in 2001, and gave it his last name, Bibi. When Messinger took over, he didn’t want to change the name, theme or style of the place since it already had a solid reputation in the neighborhood. However, what he did want to do was expand the menu. 

“I wanted to make it a place that had more options for people to come for breakfast, lunch or dinner,” he said. “I brought with me experience in marketing and production. The biggest project I felt I had was building the brand of Bibi’s with consistent marketing and branding. Over the course of this decade, we’ve been pretty successful in establishing Bibi’s as a go-to name in the community.”

Messinger works what he calls “the grind.” Sunday through Thursday he starts his day at 6:30 a.m., answering emails, getting back to his customers and picking up supplies from the grocery. He opens the store at 8 a.m., running back and forth all day until 7 p.m. doing deliveries and going to his Bibi’s offshoot, The Kosher Cookie Company. Along with attending to customers, he’s also taking catering orders for simchas, shivas and schools and managing his employees. The only time of year he takes off is for Pesach. 

“Pesach is sacred in our house,” he said. “That is the one week where I cannot be consumed with the store.” 

While Messinger acknowledged that peak pandemic times were difficult because business was slower, now he’s facing inflation, general COVID fatigue and labor shortages.  

“I want to be able to serve our customers in a certain way,” he said. “In the absence of having a full staff, more things fall on me. It is a challenge.”

However, despite these issues and his rigorous daily schedule, Messinger stays positive about his work. He reflected fondly upon the time when people came into the restaurant to do a sheva brachot and dance around the store, which he said, “is sort of exceptionally Jewish.” 

Another day that stood out was when a couple of Chasidim came in, “jumped behind the counter and showed me how they liked to make their babka,” he said. “This wouldn’t have happened anywhere else.”

In December, Messinger is running specials and doing giveaways to show his appreciation to the community and strengthen his relationships with customers. For the Bibi’s owner, that’s truly what it’s all about. 

“I know many, if not most, of my regular customers by name,” he said. “I know when they’re celebrating a simcha or when they have a death in the family or they go on vacation. Seeing them and having conversations really offsets the challenges.”

He continued, “As frustrating as it is to hustle, it’s nice to know that you’re part of the local community. That’s the dream of a local business.”