Summer’s winding down and folks are ready for something different.
Most breakfast places stick to the same boring menu year-round.
But Einstein Bros. Bagels just gave breakfast lovers one reason to celebrate fall like never before with their brand-new Oktoberfest menu.
Beer cheese for breakfast? Genius move by Einstein Bros.
Starting August 20, Einstein Bros. rolled out something nobody expected – pub-inspired breakfast that actually makes sense.
The star of the show is their Oktoberfest Egg Sandwich, loaded with eggs, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, mustard, and their new Beer Cheese Shmear on a Pretzel Bagel.¹
Now that’s what you call thinking outside the box.
"Our guests have always enjoyed unique fall flavors, and Oktoberfest brings a whole new flavor adventure to breakfast," said Chad Thompson, Einstein Bros.’ Head of Culinary Innovation.²
The guy’s not kidding about the adventure part.
They’ve also created something called the Pretzel Bagel Double Dipper – a hot pretzel bagel served with Beer Cheese Shmear and spicy brown mustard on the side.
And they actually want you to double dip.
Finally, a restaurant that understands how people actually want to eat.
This is how you bring tradition to the breakfast table
Oktoberfest has been celebrated for centuries in Germany, but leave it to American ingenuity to figure out how to make it work for breakfast.
Einstein Bros. took the classic flavors of pretzels, beer cheese, and mustard and turned them into morning fuel that actually sounds appealing.
The Beer Cheese Shmear isn’t just for the special sandwiches either – customers can put it on any of Einstein Bros.’ two dozen bagel varieties that they bake fresh all day long.⁴
That’s the kind of flexibility that keeps customers coming back.
Most chains would create one seasonal item and call it a day.
Einstein Bros. gave people multiple ways to enjoy their innovation.
Smart business meets customer satisfaction
The limited-time menu runs through November 4, giving customers plenty of time to try everything.⁵
But here’s what really shows Einstein Bros. knows their business – they’re making these items available in-store, online, and through their app.
No matter how customers want to order, they can get their hands on these Oktoberfest flavors.
The company has more than 700 locations nationwide, so this isn’t some tiny test market – they’re rolling this out everywhere.⁶
That takes confidence in your product.
Einstein Bros. is part of Panera Brands, which also includes Panera Bread and Caribou Coffee, so they’ve got the resources and experience to pull off something this creative.⁷
And they’re encouraging customers to join their Einstein Bros. Rewards program to earn points toward free food – because why wouldn’t you want to reward people for trying something new?⁸
This is exactly the kind of innovation American businesses do best.
Take a beloved tradition like Oktoberfest, figure out how to make it work for breakfast, and give customers something they didn’t even know they wanted.
Einstein Bros. Bagels just turned the most important meal of the day into something worth looking forward to.
That Beer Cheese Shmear might be the breakfast game-changer nobody saw coming.
¹ Einstein Bros. Bagels, "Prost to Pretzels! Einstein Bros. Bagels Launches Seasonal Oktoberfest Menu," PR Newswire, August 20, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
