A Connecticut-based bagel franchise will open a location in the Georgetown neighborhood April 3, a company spokesperson confirmed to The Hoya March 24.
PopUp Bagels, a franchise that sells a variety of bagels and spreads, is set to open on Wisconsin Avenue, according to a company spokesperson. Famous for its “grip, rip and dip” motto, PopUp has 28 other locations across the United States.
Brian Harrington, a Washington, D.C. partner for PopUp Bagels, said the Georgetown location is the start of PopUp’s expansion into the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area.
“There’s a real neighborhood culture in Georgetown that aligns with PopUp Bagels perfectly,” Harrington wrote to The Hoya. “We’re not just opening doors, we’re joining communities.”
“Starting our DMV footprint in the heart of D.C. gives us the opportunity to build meaningful connections from day one and expand thoughtfully throughout Virginia and Maryland,” Harrington added.
PopUp, which was founded 2020 in Westport, Conn., sells bagels in batches of three, six, 12 and 30. The store features a small menu and offers customers the option of five different bagels — plain, everything, poppy seed, salt and sesame — and five different spreads, including two weekly specialty flavors.
Sophia Tremblay (CAS ’27), an undergraduate from Boston, said PopUp Bagels is a source of nostalgic comfort.
“I remember it a lot in high school, and it was a really big thing for me and my friends,” Tremblay told The Hoya. “I remember when it opened too, it was so fun, and just the concept of it is so cool, like how you have to rip the bagels and dip them rather than cut them.”
“When I heard it was opening up here, it felt like a little piece of Boston was coming here, even though I don’t think it originated in Boston, but it’s just the idea of it, and I think it’s better than Call Your Mother personally,” Tremblay added.
Sophia Dessi (CAS ’28), an undergraduate from Westchester, N.Y., said she enjoyed going to PopUp with her sister in her hometown.
“The closest location is like 40 minutes from us, so we just get in the car, go 40 minutes, get a PopUp, and literally eat like two or three bagels each on the way back,” Dessi told The Hoya. “It’s a lot, but it’s great — like doing the different cream cheeses, different butters — and it’s just a really good bagel.”
Ginny Marshall (CAS ’29), an undergraduate from New England, said she is not looking forward to the opening because PopUp does not feel authentic.
“I’m not very excited about PopUp coming to Georgetown in part because I don’t think it’s very good,” Marshall told The Hoya. “I don’t appreciate the whole tearing experience; it’s not really what I’m looking for when I want a bagel, but I’m also not looking forward to it because I’m growing a bit tired of all these chains coming to Georgetown.”
“It’s starting to feel like every week I’m seeing new announcements about popular chains coming to Georgetown and I’m not super enthusiastic about that,” Marshall added.
Dessi said the appeal of PopUp Bagels is their unique approach to the bagel experience, in which customers rip off a piece of the bagel and dip it in cream cheese.
“I think that is fun and something new for people who are used to, I guess, Call Your Mother is the big bagel place here, but I think it’s an innovative spin that people will be excited about,” Dessi said.
The store, which will be located at 1078 Wisconsin Ave. NW, will fill in the spot previously occupied by Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls and Paul Bakery. PopUp will join Call Your Mother, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Café con Bagel and Wisemiller’s Grocery & Deli as another bagel spot within the Georgetown area.
Dessi said she thinks the store will benefit Georgetown residents overall.
“I think I would be upset if it were replacing a smaller business, but, I think, in general, I’m happy to see D.C. get more quality bagel spots,” Dessi said. “I feel like a lot of people who live in D.C. from the Northeast; that’s a big part of home that they miss, and so I think this is a good thing for the D.C. area to get, a bagel place like this.”
