A local pop-up bagel shop has found its permanent location on West Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill. 

Brandwein’s Bagels has recently signed a lease at 505 W. Rosemary Street, the former location of Midway Community Kitchen. To celebrate, Brandwein’s Bagels will be hosting a pop-up at their new location on February 22 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Brandwein’s Bagels initially focused on pop-up experiences and catering. Working out of Chapel Hill’s Midway Community Kitchen, the now permanent location of the company, the start-up quickly sold out of 650 bagels at its first pop-up in August 2019.

The owner of Brandwein’s Bagels, Alex Brandwein, is an MBA student at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He said that when he first started this business, he had no idea what he was doing.

“I knew I loved it here in Chapel Hill,” Brandwein said. “I knew I loved bagels. I knew I dreamed of creating something that people were genuinely excited about. And I thought, maybe, just maybe, there might be some magical combination to bring it all together. Here we are, 189 days and literally one ton of flour later, and that hazy vision has come just a bit more into focus.”

Many pop-ups, caterings and learning moments later, Brandwein said he is excited to finally go “all-in” on the first permanent Brandwein’s Bagels location.

“This is a huge milestone,” Brandwein said in his latest newsletter. “There will be many more hurdles to get to opening (permitting, construction, hiring, training, etc., etc., etc.) and there will be many more hurdles after that – but this is one day that I don’t ever want to forget – no matter what happens.”

As a New York native, Brandwein hopes to bring an authentic New York bagel made from scratch, boiled and baked the “New York way,” to the streets of Chapel Hill. He said this permanent location has the opportunity to provide the community with state-of-the-art efficiency “that gets you in-and-out as fast as possible” as well as be a fun, welcoming spot for the public.

To keep up-to-date on their opening plans and future pop-ups, follow Brandwein’s Bagels on their Instagram or visit their website. 

(Photo courtesy of Brandwein’s Bagels – UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School)

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