PopUp Bagels Franchise

Born in Westport, Connecticut in 2020, PopUp Bagels was founded by Adam Goldberg and Jeff Lewis as a weekend side project before growing into a full-fledged retail concept. Stores are small and efficient — roughly 1,100 square feet — built around a walk-in cooler, a boiler station, and an oven rather than a full commercial kitchen. The vibe leans into an energetic, almost social-club feel, with music and lighting meant to make picking up a dozen bagels feel like an event rather than an errand.

The brand's signature operational twist is its "drop" model: customers pre-order in batches, creating scarcity and buzz around each release. Orders typically require a minimum purchase (a dozen bagels plus two tubs of schmear), which keeps ticket sizes healthy and reduces waste and guesswork for operators.

• A concept that generated organic hype and press coverage well before any formal franchise program existed
• A compact real estate footprint that keeps buildout relatively contained compared to full-service restaurant concepts
• Backing from institutional investors, with tens of millions of dollars raised across multiple funding rounds since 2022
• An aggressive but structured growth plan, with a stated goal of reaching 100 open locations by the end of 2027
• Multi-unit development deals already signed in high-growth states including Florida and California, signaling strong demand from experienced multi-unit operators

PopUp Bagels has publicly stated it is prioritizing what it calls "highly vetted, best-in-class operators" over simply maximizing unit count. In practice, this has translated into multi-unit development agreements with seasoned restaurant and retail groups rather than single-unit newcomers. Candidates with prior multi-unit food and beverage or retail operating experience, access to capital for multi-store development, and the ability to move quickly in competitive real estate markets are likely to be the strongest fit.

Specific financial terms for PopUp Bagels have not been confirmed directly through the brand's official franchise page, which was not accessible as indexed text at the time of this research. Figures circulating through third-party FDD aggregators suggest a franchise fee in the area of $35,000, a royalty around 6% of gross sales, and a marketing contribution near 2%. Total investment estimates for a single unit have ranged roughly from $330,000 to over $900,000 depending on the source and whether the estimate includes multi-unit development costs. Given the inconsistency across secondary sources, prospective candidates should treat these figures as directional only and request the current Franchise Disclosure Document directly from the company before making any decisions.

• Founded in 2020 in Westport, Connecticut
• Franchise program officially launched in November 2024
• Roughly 10 to 14 corporate-operated locations open as of early-to-mid 2025, with the network reportedly growing toward 30 open stores and beyond by late 2025
• More than 300 franchised units reportedly signed with around 15 multi-unit operators as of mid-2025
• Stated goal of 100 open locations by the end of 2027
• Development pipeline spans at least 10 states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, California, and Maine
• Typical store size around 1,100 square feet
• Backed by more than $9.5 million in early seed funding plus additional multimillion-dollar growth capital rounds since 2022

Interested in bringing PopUp Bagels to your market? Reach out today to request current franchise disclosure details and find out if your target territory is still available.