Changing eating habits and demand for clean-label, portion-controlled foods are fueling a new wave of frozen innovation, with startups like Pizzabagel and Mac Squares giving nostalgic comfort foods a modern makeover.
A quick Google search for “pizza bagels” pulls up pages of recipes that promise a quick, savory and even healthy alternative to the iconic Bagel Bites from 1982 or Annie’s Homegrown Pizza Bagels, which launched in 2014 – showing how slow the category has evolved over the last several decades.
A search for “Bagelverse Pizzabagel” pulls up Founder Jacob Cooper’s New York City-based frozen pizza bagels, which started with a simple premise in 2025 to reinvent a childhood favorite by combining two classic New York staples, pizza and bagels.
When the company launched last year, it made more than $22,000 in revenue in October 2025 through events across the city, including local farmer’s markets, according to Cooper.
“I love pizza bagels growing up. A lot of us did, and I realized I hadn’t eaten one in 10 years or more, and that was kind of a shame,” Cooper said at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City last month. “The boxes on the shelves today have the DreamWorks animated characters from the latest movie on them. It’s not meant for anyone who’s not really a kid.”
After refining recipes and testing demand through live events in 2025, Cooper launched the frozen retail-ready version of Pizzabagel this spring.
Last year, the brand started in “local bars, we ended the year at NBA stadiums, and we were at Food Network events, and we were on CNBC at the end of the year,” he said.
Building retail presence in NYC
Unlike many food startups that immediately seek outside capital, Cooper largely funded Pizzabagel himself. As a former chief technology officer of a startup he helped build in college, Cooper left the tech world and with the $250,000 equity payout that he used to start the brand.
Rather than launching into grocery immediately, Cooper spent more than a year selling directly to consumers through live events to validate demand and gather feedback.
The company officially entered independent grocers across New York City in April 2026 with a lineup that includes Spicy Vodka, Pepperoni Hot Honey and Four Cheese varieties that are free from artificial preservatives and corn syrup.
Mac & cheese on the go
For Atlanta, Ga.-based frozen macaroni and cheese startup, Mac Squares, reinterpreting the beloved staple (whether it’s a meal or a snack is a hot debate) meant a cleaner label. The brand’s founder, Sheena Hamby formulated a healthier, snack-sized version daughter undergoing medical treatment.
As the late author, editor and professor Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it” – and in Hamby’s case, she did just that with Mac Squares when she was unable to find a healthy version of her daughter’s favorite comfort food on shelves and the equipment necessary to produce them.
“We started at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in Atlanta, Georgia ... while my daughter was going through chemo,” Hamby said. “I realized there was a market need.”
With flavors like Miso Salmon, Aged Cheddar and Truffle Spinach, Hamby used ingredients like non-GMO cheddar, certified organic noodles and non-GMO miso sauce. The frozen squares contain between 8 and 11 grams of protein per serving and are ready to heat and eat in 20 seconds, Hamby said.
Building manufacturing equipment from scratch
When it came to production, however, Hamby explained she was unable to find a co-manufacturing partner who had the equipment to produce the squares in a frozen format. Instead, Hamby constructed customized production equipment specifically for Mac Squares.
“We’ve reached out to multiple contract manufacturers, and every single one of them has told me my product is interesting, they would love to follow the story, but they don’t support the format,” she said. “I designed the machine, and I had it made.”
‘We are open to investors’
Mac Squares remains self-funded, but Hamby said the company is open to bringing on investors as demand accelerates.
While the company uses a pre-order model through its website to help manage inventory and ingredient sourcing, she noted that consumer demand is outpacing production capacity.
“The demand is there, but the funding isn’t there. The customers want it now, and they expect it now,” she said.
The company recently produced 23 pallets of product in a two-week period, underscoring the operational challenges and growth opportunities facing the business as it scales.
‘We sell out everywhere we go’
Mac Squares currently sells through local retailers in Georgia and South Carolina while building a direct-to-consumer business that Hamby said has “been booming” in recent months. The company also plans to launch in New York within the next two months.
Hamby said breaking into the frozen aisle has been particularly challenging because the product’s square format differs from traditional frozen macaroni and cheese offerings.
“My product was different, and people are scared to touch different,” she said.
Still, Hamby argues the format aligns with growing consumer demand for convenience, portion control and protein-rich snacks. Unlike many traditional frozen macaroni and cheese products, Mac Squares can be heated in seconds and eaten as a snack, side dish or meal.
Consumer demand has helped make the company’s case to retailers.
“We sell out everywhere we go,” Hamby said. “The customers told us exactly what they want.”
