A new locally owned & founded bagel shop, called Bagels! Lafayette, is coming soon to Lafayette, Louisiana. As for the exact location, that is still a little secret that only a small, select group knows. And yes, we know… 😛 Don’t worry, they will share it soon!
Founded by the group who brought us Caroline’s Cookies, Bagels! will be a quick-service breakfast and lunch restaurant centered around fresh, house-made bagels, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and real-fruit smoothies.
The bagels will be made completely from scratch in-house, starting with the dough, then shaped, boiled, and baked fresh. The menu will include bagels by the bag, toasted bagels with a variety of spreads, and several signature bagel sandwiches. They also plan to use high-quality, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.
Along with the bagels, Bagels! will also offer real-fruit smoothies made with simple, quality ingredients.
The new concept was founded by Caroline Merryman, Ashlyn Fruge, and Reece Merryman. Caroline and Reece are siblings and previously worked together to bring Caroline’s Cookies to life, with Reece helping to develop the brand and continuing to lead creatively. Ashlyn has been part of the Caroline’s Cookies team for more than four years and brings experience in leadership, operations, hospitality, and working with people.
The Bagels! Team
“Acadiana has an incredible food culture, but we also saw an opportunity for something that we felt was missing,” said Merryman. “We want Bagels to fill that gap while still feeling distinctly local through our ingredients, hospitality, and involvement in the community.”
The idea behind Bagels! came from the group seeing what they felt was a gap in Lafayette for a quick, fresh breakfast and lunch option centered around quality bagels and smoothies.
Lafayette has plenty of breakfast options, but a locally owned quick-service concept built specifically around fresh bagels is something we don’t really have. There have been bagel concepts in Lafayette in the past, but they have closed for one reason or another.
“Lafayette is home for us, and there really wasn’t a question of where we wanted to bring this concept first,” said Merryman. “Having already built Caroline’s Cookies in Lafayette, we have experienced firsthand how strongly this community supports locally owned businesses.”
The Bagels! team will soon be renovating and building-out in an existing commercial space in Lafayette. The kitchen will be built specifically around their bagel-making process, including mixing, shaping, boiling, and baking, along with a dedicated smoothie station, quick-service ordering, and dine-in seating.
“We are excited to create another locally owned business, provide new jobs, work with other local businesses and suppliers, and bring something new to the Lafayette food scene,” said the Bagels! team. “We just love food, love Acadiana, and want to continue to add to the community in a positive way.“
The official Bagels! Lafayette location is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. And, as you may expect, no opening date has been announced yet.
For more information, follow Bagels! on all socials at https://facebook.com/bagels.lafayette and on IG at https://www.instagram.com/bagelslafayette.
You can also see their website at https://www.bagelslafayette.com.
