Dolgeville Bread Basket rolls out sit-down breakfast

For the first time in its six-year history, the Dolgeville Bread Basket is inviting customers to pull up a chair for breakfast.

Starting Wednesday, Sept. 23, the Main Street bakery began serving an eat-in or takeout breakfast menu, filling what owners Pete and Miya McGowan say has been a long-standing gap in the village.

“There isn’t anything in Dolgeville. There’s no place to sit down and have breakfast,” Miya said on the first morning of the new service. “We have limited space, but we said we’re gonna go for it and see how it goes. So here we are.”

The idea had been simmering for a while, but the timing came down to staffing. Pete had been putting in long hours, and the couple recently brought on help, hiring Miya’s niece, Ashley, to work in the kitchen. Adding breakfast was a way to grow the business enough to support the extra hands.

The response so far has been encouraging. “We’ve had nothing but good feedback,” Miya said. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Fresh bread on every plate

Miya describes the menu as “your basic breakfast menu,” but with an advantage few diners can match. “The biggest perk for us is we have our own bread and our own bagels,” she said. “They’re fresh made, so you’re gonna get fresh bread with your breakfast.”

The menu includes eggs any style with toast or a bagel starting at $5.50, and a two-egg platter with choice of meat, toast and home fries for $11. Omelets range from a plain cheese omelet at $8.50 to Western and veggie versions, all served with toast, a bagel or an English muffin.

French toast comes in two – or three-slice orders on the shop’s own Italian, cinnamon raisin or brioche bread. Build-your-own breakfast sandwiches start at $6.50, with a Meat Lovers version stacked with ham, sausage and bacon for $9.50.

One item likely to draw attention is the Dirty Buns: a brioche bun topped with sausage gravy and two eggs over easy, for $10.50.

The McGowans plan to get comfortable with the core menu before expanding. “Once we do, maybe we’ll add things like pancakes further on down the road,” Miya said. “We just have to get our groove.”

How it works

With room for up to 19 diners, the shop is asking customers to help keep things moving. Guests will fill out their own order sheets when they arrive, and staff will collect them and start cooking.

The owners are also asking diners to be mindful of others waiting for a seat, and they encourage takeout customers to call ahead early enough to give the kitchen time to fill orders.

To make room for the morning crowd, the Bread Basket has adjusted its hours to 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10 a.m., and the lunch menu runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Walk-in customers can still pick up the shop’s artisan breads, bagels and stuffed bagel sandwiches as usual.

Six years of steady growth

The Bread Basket’s roots go back to the McGowans’ home kitchen. Pete, who grew up in a house where his mother baked all the family’s bread, taught himself the craft. The couple began selling rolls and bagels to Brix on North Main Street and at the Dolgeville Farmers Market before opening their shop in July 2020.

Their bagels quickly built a following, and local restaurants began buying their bread and rolls. Customer suggestions shaped many of their most popular artisan loaves, including Jalapeño Cheddar and Cranberry Walnut.

In March 2025, the bakery moved across the street to a larger, street-level storefront at 14 S. Main St., the former Van Billings office. At the time, the McGowans said the new space eliminated the stairs that had kept some older customers away and opened the door to trying new things, including adding tables.

Miya said the move has paid off. “It’s been great,” she said. “We’ve grown since we moved from across the street. We’re busier than we were over there.”

Being next to the Cakery has helped too. “We just kind of complement each other,” she said.

In their Facebook announcement, the McGowans thanked the community and asked for patience as they settle into the new routine. “We want to provide a breakfast place for the community,” they wrote. “We truly appreciate the support of our little town and surrounding communities.”

For more information, visit Facebook.com/dolgevillebreadbasket.