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Murat Akyüz, ’23, and Jaafar Altameemi, ’23, met in an intro to entrepreneurship class after both transferring to the University of Washington from community college. A few years later, they came up with a concept for a home away from home that reminded them of Middle Eastern hospitality: TOASTED. Bagels & Coffee, which serves bagel sandwiches and coffee with Mediterranean-inspired flavors from date and labneh to cardamom and honey. Usually, their space is packed with people catching up, studying and learning from each other, something that the co-founders are proud to have fostered.

I sat down with Akyüz and Altameemi to learn more about the power of community, the importance of documenting the process and the lessons they’ve learned from entrepreneurship.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length. 

When did you feel like you were on to something special with TOASTED. Bagels and Coffee?

Altameemi: We spent a lot of time thinking about what TOASTED. could be. Murat and I played to each other’s strengths, whether it was his marketing skills or my focus on supply chain and considering our margins as a business. We really started to see what was possible the day after we opened our first location when people we didn’t know showed up. And recently, we had all three of our locations open, and they all sold out.

You’ve talked about how you want TOASTED. Bagels & Coffee to be both a business and community space that creates a sense of home with Middle Eastern hospitality. How do you foster an environment like that for customers?

Akyüz: In our culture, we treat everyone as if they were a guest in our house. We want to create a community that people can rely on.

Altameemi: We’ve also learned that we don’t have to do everything ourselves. We’re standing on the shoulders of hundreds or thousands of people who have helped us in the journey to bring TOASTED. Bagels & Coffee to life. That help looks like many different things, whether it’s getting advice from other business owners or people helping us spread the word about our locations and events.

You’ve been hosting Ramadan nights at your University District location. What have they been like?

Altameemi: When we came up with the idea of staying open late and serving food for our Ramadan nights, we thought 30 to 40 people would come, and we ended up serving several hundred people every night. We scrapped together a whole menu in 72 hours, and we were able to partner with El Xalal Tacos to serve late-night halal eats. With everyone coming together, the space reminds us of the community we were missing back in the Middle East, and we’ve also been able to raise funds for Zaytoon to support 20 incoming UW students from Gaza.

You’ve been documenting the process of opening all three of your locations with a new one coming soon. Why is it important to you to capture not just the fun and joyful parts of running a business, but also the challenging ones?

Akyüz: It made sense to create content that documented our journey so we could track what we had accomplished along the way. It also lets our customers into the process in the hopes of encouraging them to come in.

Altameemi: We also wanted to be honest about the truth of the journey, especially with students who might be considering entrepreneurship for themselves. Social media is often focused on people’s wins, but we don’t always get to see the journey to get there, including the rejections. All of the challenges make the wins more meaningful.

What did your time at the UW teach you about entrepreneurship?

Altameemi: Entrepreneurship often happens outside of the classroom, whether it’s through pitching, case competitions or conversations with other small business owners. These experiences taught me the importance of communicating a clear vision of what you want to accomplish.

Akyüz: Many of the people we’ve met along the way have become our lifelong friends. They have been open to new ideas, give us feedback, and pitch in to help whenever we needed it.

What’s the most important thing that running a small business has taught you?

Altameemi: You’re going to face challenges along the way, but don’t let the hurdles slow you down. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes.

Akyüz: Trust the team you’re working with. This is something we learned in the process of opening our three locations. We want to create a culture where they’re not scared of trying things.

Check out TOASTED. Bagels and Coffee on Instagram, and visit their locations in the University District, Bellevue and South Lake Union.

Get to know Altameemi and Akyüz through these rapid-fire questions:

Favorite brunch or coffee shop spot (that’s not TOASTED. Bagels & Coffee):

• Akyüz: Bonito Cafe y Mercadito in Capitol Hill.
• Altameemi: Oddfellows in Capitol Hill. I love it for the community, and it makes for a great meet-up spot.

Favorite TOASTED. Bagels and Coffee menu item:

• Akyüz: The TurkeyBEC is my go-to. It’s made with turkey bacon, eggs, melted cheddar and our house sauce.
• Altameemi: I always get the roast beef on a jalapeno cheddar bagel and add avocado.

Favorite spot at the UW:

• Akyüz: Suzzallo Library—it’s very calm in there.
• Altameemi: I like to hang out near the Electrical Engineering building, especially at the planetarium. It’s a peaceful spot on campus.

What’s one of your favorite dishes from your culture?

• Akyüz: Manti, which are Turkish dumplings, often served with a yogurt sauce and spiced oil.
• Altameemi: I like koshari, which is Egypt’s national dish. It has rice, three different kinds of pasta, lentils, and chickpeas and is usually served with garlic and tomato sauce. It takes a long time to make, and you can get it at King Tut Mediterranean Restaurant off of Aurora.

How do you want people to feel when they visit TOASTED. Bagels & Coffee?

• Akyüz: Welcome and full.
• Altameemi: Warm and comforted.

About the author: Aleenah Ansari (she/her) is equal parts storyteller, creative problem solver, and journalist at heart who’s rooted in the stories of people behind products, companies, and initiatives. She writes about travel, entrepreneurship, mental health and wellness, and representation in media for Insider, The Seattle Times, Byrdie, and more. You can usually find her searching for murals, reading a book by a BIPOC author, or planning her next trip to New York. You can learn more at www.aleenahansari.com.