Key points:
- The first Georgia location of Connecticut-based PopUp Bagels will open on the Eastside Beltline Feb. 6.
- The brand is known for soft, rippable bagels that come in orders of three that can be dunked in pints of cream cheese or butter schmear.
- The Beltline location will feature a smoked peach schmear.
Connecticut-based chain PopUp Bagels opens its first Georgia location on Feb. 6 along the Eastside Beltline, taking over the Butter & Cream space at SPX Alley.
The bagel brand went viral on social media for its “grippable, rippable, and dippable” bagels soon after founder Adam Goldberg launched the business as a backyard pickup service in Westport, CT during the pandemic.
Unlike most bagel shops, PopUp Bagels does not slice bagels or use bagels to make sandwiches. These bagels are smaller and softer than a traditional New York-style bagel, making it easier to rip and dip into schmear or butter. Goldberg also wanted his bagels to be shared. Bagels come in minimum orders of three, accompanied by a tub of schmear or butter.
In addition to a selection of schmears, PopUp Bagels also offers toppings like smoked salmon and trout roe, and drinks like Natalie’s juices and La Colombe canned bold brew. PopUp Bagels is also known for schmear flavor collaborations with brands such as Brett’s Bites and Ocean Spray. A lemon pepper schmear collaboration with WingStop launches Jan. 29 and is available through the Super Bowl on Feb. 8.
The Eastside Beltline location will feature a smoked peach schmear and a drinks collaboration with Atlanta-based brand Reduce.
PopUp Bagels franchisee Janvi Patel of Alabama-based Power Brands Hospitality Group (Five Guys, Nothing Bundt Cakes) chose the SPX Alley location after becoming familiar with the Beltline in college. “I always felt this sweet spot in my heart,” she said. “The walking traffic replicates how New York is. Being able to walk by, even if you live in one of the apartments around [the Beltline], you have the ability to just pop in and pop out. It’s the easy access.”
And while PopUp Bagels is just steps away from local shop Emerald City Bagels on the Beltline, Patel insists the trail and the neighborhood has space for two unique bagel spots.
“We’re very different on the spectrum. [Emerald City] is a basic sandwich where you go in and you can get a bacon, egg, and cheese, or your bagels are sliced,” Patel said. “Ours are a completely different style. You get a three-pack, you have your bagel and you have your schmear, and it’s not going to be a basic schmear. But we definitely welcome all bagel shops and think there’s plenty of love to go around.”
Since launching its first shop in 2021, PopUp Bagels has expanded throughout New England, as well as to New York, California, Florida, and North Carolina. Five Georgia locations are in the works, including the shop on the Beltline and an upcoming location beside Aviva by Kameel in Buckhead.
PopUp Bagels, 661 Auburn Ave., Old Fourth Ward. Opening Feb. 6.