Popular breakfast restaurant Brandwein’s Bagels has announced that it will expand its shop to include the former Bread & Butter Bakery and its parking lot located next door.

“In less than a year, through ALL OF THE UPS AND DOWNS, with all of your support and the incredible effort from our team… we are beyond grateful to have the opportunity to grow our business,” read a release from owner Alex Brandwein.

Brandwein, a graduate of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, opened Brandwein’s Bagels in August 2020. The restaurant pledged to bring authentic New York bagels made from scratch, boiled and baked the “New York way” to the streets of Chapel Hill.

Now, Brandwein’s Bagels will expand its operations at 505 W. Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill to include the former Bread & Butter Bakery — which has closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We want to take a moment to recognize the closing of Bread & Butter Bakery,” said Brandwein. “The Chen family owned and operated this business since 2011, having run Oriental Garden for 20 years before that. Bread & Butter leaves an indelible imprint on our community. The most delicious breads, croissants and… those scones! Everything made from scratch. We will miss Bread & Butter Bakery. When discussing the possibility to take over their space, one of the Chen’s focal points was their desire to pass it on to someone who loves the town as much as they do. I share their mission ‘to create something meaningful for our community.'”

There is currently no timeline for Brandwein’s Bagels expansion into the new space. In the release, Brandwein said the new parking lot will be unavailable to customers as it is needed as a staging ground for the renovations.

“There will be many more hurdles to get to opening our new space (permitting, construction, hiring, training, etc., etc., etc.) and there will be many more hurdles after that – but this is a special moment that I don’t ever want to forget,” he wrote. “If you couldn’t tell from all of our other interactions, this means more to me than pretty much anything else I’ve ever worked on. And that scares the heck out of me. Balancing my love for something and my commitment to be honest about it is a constant battle. But it’s all worth it when we can deliver a great experience to our team and to our customers.”

For more updates on the renovations for Brandwein’s Bagels, follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

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