Clinton “Clint” Hatton was an employee at Whidbey Island Bagel Factory in Clinton for nearly two years before he talked with John Auburn about purchasing the business from him. Clint assumed ownership of the business the 1st of September 2025.
Clint says “The business is very labor intensive, but I like the friendly atmosphere that has been created here.” He currently has 15 employees, many who have been there for several years. He likes to bake, and at one time he thought about having a restaurant business or a food truck. Before he got into the bagel business, he had worked for Seattle tech companies and he is also the current Executive Director of Whidbey Watershed Stewards - a local non-profit that provides environmental experiential learning for elementary aged students. Whidbey Watershed Stewards provides the educational programming for the Maxwelton Outdoor Classroom, among other things.
Clint began cooking when he was just 11 years old. As an adult, he thought about having his own restaurant. He spent a lot of his early days in Colorado before eventually settling in the Northwest and Whidbey Island. He joined John Auburn at the Clinton location of the Whidbey Bagel Factory two years ago. When he learned that John was interested in having someone purchase his bagel business in Clinton, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.
There are currently three bakers who prepare 700,000 bagels a year from this location.
The bagel factory uses local ingredients and suppliers: the coffee is sourced from a local roaster in Oak Harbor, the flour comes from a company in Kent, and the salmon comes from a company in Anacortes.
What he says he likes most about his business is the the sense of community, and the feeling of support the bagel factory gets from local businesses and his customers.
Whidbey Island Bagel Factory in Clinton is open seven days a week, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It is located in the Ken’s Corner Shopping Plaza. For larger orders they encourage customers to call 48 hours ahead to order and the bagels will be ready and waiting for pick up: (360) 341- 4302. The friendly crew hopes you will stop in , sit down and enjoy a delicious bagel, beverage, and maybe try one of the hand-made soups. Check out their Facebook page.
