These Bagels Are Built to Sell

The food game isn't easy. PopUp Bagels is winning it with creative marketing, maximum efficiency, and a very focused franchisee plan.

- CARL STOFFERS

The restaurant business is a grind. Build-out, food, and staffing costs are high. Sales across many sectors are flat.

What's the solution? It might look like PopUp Bagels. “It’s a completely different model,” says Tory Bartlett, who joined the brand as CEO in September 2024. “We're doing one thing and doing it really well.”

PopUp Bagels is all about efficiency. It only sells hot bagels in packs of three or more, with rotating weekly spreads instead of a cluttered menu. It takes walk-ins and preorders only, with no frills—there are no milkshakes, no soda fountains, not even an ice machine in the store. All this keeps costs low and operations simple.

And the profits? Those are on the rise.

How these bagels popped

Adam Goldberg founded PopUp Bagels in 2020 in Westport, Connecticut, originally as a backyard bagel popup for friends and neighbors during the pandemic. He hadn’t planned to launch a business, but the response was immediate- and overwhelming.