Transforming a Bagel Truck into an NYC Cultural Staple

Rollin Bagels is a beloved bagel truck serving hand-rolled bagels and breakfast sandwiches all over the city. WellWell joined as a Fractional Marketing Director on an ongoing basis to grow the business into a bagel empire known for collabs, activations, and community events.

NEW YORK, 2025

RESULTS

1500+ new followers on Instagram.

85+ runners from 17+ run clubs at the inaugural Race of All Run Clubs 5K.

400+ sign-ups for a weekend-long brand activation with Coffee Meets Bagel.

10+ private catering for weddings, brunches and engagements.

3 brand collaborations with Runna, Fifth Avenue, Intuit, and more.

THE BRIEF

Rollin Bagels needed senior brand and marketing support to oversee the entire marketing funnel, from partnerships strategy and community-first activations to compelling storytelling that would deepen customer loyalty and attract new opportunities.

SCOPE OF WORK

○ Brand Positioning and Messaging ○ Visual Identity Refresh ○ Truck Art Direction ○ Website Design and Build ○ Social Strategy and Content ○ Event Management ○ B2B Partnerships ○ Print and On-Site Collateral

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OUR APPROACH

We sharpened the positioning around a community-first bagel brand, refreshed the messaging and visual direction, and launched a focused website that finally housed the story, menu and a clear path for brand collabs, catering, and event inquiries.

To tap into the “foodie community,” we treated the food truck as a mobile neighborhood hub and built social pillars and templates to highlight prep, specials, and community moments, then designed IRL activations to raise brand awareness and customer loyalty. This included the Race of All Run Clubs 5K, a Runna collaboration feeding runners for another 5K, a weekend partnership with Coffee Meets Bagel where we led experiential design, promotions, photography and event management, and appearances at the West Village Block Party, Fifth Avenue Holiday Open Streets, as well as dozens of weddings, brunches, and engagement catering.

IMPACT

Rollin Bagels emerged with a stronger digital presence, a community reputation as a “must-visit” spot in Queens, and a growing pipeline of collabs. Armed with a handful of proven event formats, the team has a repeatable playbook for feeding people where life actually happens.

REFLECTIONS

Building a hospitality brand today means treating every touchpoint—truck graphics, collabs, social, even race-day merch—as part of the story. Community-first food businesses don’t need massive ad budgets; they need a clear narrative, consistent visuals, and a handful of thoughtful partnerships that turn regulars into evangelists.

CREDITS

  • Image 2 & 3: Adrian Umpierrez

  • "Finally, our hand-rolled bagels are getting recognized for how good they are. Our brand, website, and Instagram presence has put us on the map as a bagel business to watch out for.

    —Rollin Bagels Founder

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