PopUp Bagels rolls into Georgetown
Get ready to grip, rip and dip your bagel.
PopUp Bagels — known for its hot bagels and videos from fans on social media — is opening its first location in the nation’s capital.
The Connecticut-based chain is planning to open on Friday, April 10, at 1078 Wisconsin Ave. NW in the heart of Georgetown.
Store owner Brian Harrington told WTOP he considers Georgetown a prime spot with so many students from Georgetown University and the George Washington University nearby.
“Our clientele skews a little bit younger than a typical bagel shop,” Harrington said. “And just walk down Wisconsin or M (Street) and it’s just rife with the folks that patronize PopUp Bagels, and we think it’s perfect location for what we’re doing.”
PopUp Bagels doesn’t slice the bagels or make sandwiches.
“We are strictly about bagels and schmears,” Harrington said. “And we’ve created this grip, rip and dip method, where the hot bagels come out of the oven. They go right in the bag. … The schmears are served on the side, and you rip that hot, steamy bagel open, dip it right in the schmear and enjoy it.”
PopUp fans often take another step: posting videos of the process on TikTok or Instagram.
Harrington plans to have a second floor at his Georgetown location — a first for the chain, which has more than 20 locations from Maine to California. He hopes customers will stay for a bit, relax and enjoy some of their bagels, fresh out the oven.
PopUp Bagels is looking at other locations around the D.C. region, with the next store opening soon in Bethesda.
The chain joins a crowded field in the nation’s capital — led by Call Your Mother, Bethesda Bagels and Einstein Bros. Bagels. But Harrington is unfazed by all the competition.
“Those operators are well-established and great operators,” he said. “And we’re not here to say we’re going to be the king of the town. We’re just going to do what we do.”
“We think that our loyal followers will come and find us, and we think there’s room for us in the market,” he said.