The bagels are made with regular dough and the name is independent of additional fillings such as cream cheese.

[5] A 1977 article in Newsday on where to eat in Syosset, New York, noted that at Bagel Master, "for those who can never decide if they want plain, salt, poppy seed, sesame seed, garlic or onion, there's something called the everything bagel, which is topped with all of them.

"[6] David Gussin claims he invented it sometime around 1980:[4][7] while sweeping up leftover bagel toppings from the oven, Gussin saved them in a bin and convinced the store owner to make bagels with them.

Others who have claimed to have invented the everything bagel include American restaurateur Joe Bastianich and sports marketer Brandon Steiner.

[10] Brandon Steiner, who believes his invention at a bakery in 1973 predates the others, wrote in a 2016 blog post:[11] One night I was screwing around with different combinations of toppings – sesame, salt, poppy, onion and garlic – making braids, onion flats, and other unorthodox concoctions.