Metro Atlanta will be expansion hub for New York bagel chain
Tory Bartlett guided Schlotzsky’s through the COVID-19 pandemic. He revamped the menu and store design of Moe’s Southwest Grill. He served as chief executive of Tin Lizzy’s Cantina and led operations for Hooters of America.
Now, the Atlanta restaurant veteran is betting on bagels.
Bartlett, who last year stepped in as CEO of New York-based PopUp Bagels, is paving a path for the company to open 300 franchise locations in 10 states, including five restaurants in Georgia.
“My whole career, I’ve been working with legacy brands to either get them back on track or find different avenues and channels for them to grow,” Bartlett, who is based in Atlanta, said in an interview.
“This is a unique opportunity for me, because it’s starting at ground zero,” he said.
Metro Atlanta will serve as the hub for the PopUp Bagels’ Southeast expansion, Bartlett said. The company is opening a distribution center in Marietta and building a small team here to support franchise operations.
The metro area has long been a mecca for fast-food brands, from Chick-fil-A to Arby’s and Papa Johns.
“To support training and operations, Atlanta is such a better place to be,” Bartlett said, because it’s easier to fly in and out of Atlanta than New York.
Founder Adam Goldberg started PopUp Bagels in 2020 as a “pandemic side hustle,” according to the company. It has gone on to raise millions, scoring investments from celebrities such as actor Paul Rudd, according to media reports.
PopUp Bagels offers five types of bagels, served hot from the oven and unsliced. The bagels are meant to be ripped up and dipped into containers of cream cheese and butter, called schmears, which come in a variety of flavors.
“We’ve got music bumping in there, and we’re yelling ‘hot bagels,’” Bartlett said of the atmosphere. “There’s this energy and vibe.”
The restaurant industry is facing headwinds, from rising rents and food costs, to consumers more stressed about their spending. But with PopUp Bagels’ small store size and simple operations, Bartlett said he thinks he has a winning recipe.
“I really believe that we’re creating a new category here,” he said.
Janvi Patel of Alabama-based Power Brands Hospitality Group, the PopUp Bagels franchisee for Georgia, said she got hooked on the brand while living in New York.
“I found it via TikTok,” said Patel, a graduate of Oglethorpe University. “This was the most viral bagel on TikTok.”
Patel said she would trek 30 blocks to PopUp Bagels’ original location on Thompson Street in Manhattan. “Even then, with 15-degree weather and long lines, I would wait just to get fresh, hot bagels.”
Now, Patel will lead the chain’s march into Georgia.
The first location is set for the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail, which sees more than 2 million passersby a year. The carryout bagel shop will take nearly 1,300 square feet at the SPX Alley development along the trail. It’s set to open later this year.
Other locations are planned for Buckhead and Dunwoody, Bartlett said. The company could also target Midtown, Sandy Springs, Savannah and Athens for future locations, he said.
“Quite honestly, it’s a bagel desert out there in most markets outside of New York,” Bartlett said.
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