SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — A fairly new established bagel chain will have its first footprint in Wilmington as a family with restaurateur ties plans to launch four stores in the tri-county region. Two are set to open in Wilmington this year, the first next week.
Jeff’s Bagel Run will have a two-day soft opening starting June 24, before its official grand opening and ribbon-cutting with city council and the mayor takes place on June 26. Franchise owners Danielle and Oluwole Odunusi, as well as Bill Neeland, have been working with Timeless Construction to upfit the first location at 3544 Oleander Drive, situated beside Jersey Mike’s in front of Independence Mall.
The bagel shop is known for its scratch-made rounds, whipped spreads, coffee drinks and refreshers. Jeff’s Bagel Run offers upward of a dozen flavors, both traditional — everything, sesame, blueberry — and unique combinations. Rosemary sea salt, Asiago everything, and cacio e pepe are stand-outs, and there is a bagel flavor of the day, like hot honey or pizza. The whipped spreads can also be fun, from cake batter to vegan chive and onion.
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The franchise also partners with other businesses, such as Jeremiah’s Italian Ice this summer, for variations on spreads like a mango-based one, and drinks, such as an ice cream sundae latte. They use Otus Coffee out of Florida, which roasts its beans and works with farmers from Guatemala and Colombia.
The restaurant started out of founder Jeff Perera’s kitchen during the Covid-19 pandemic as he was laid off from a senior living company and making the perfect New York bagel became a passion project to impress his wife, Danielle — from Long Island.
Perera began doing “bagel runs” during the pandemic, sharing the love with neighbors, family and friends from his baking experiments. He also built a box in his front yard and put bagels there for people to pick up. This eventually evolved into the couple opening their first store in 2021 in Ocoee, Florida.
While on family vacation at Disney World in Orlando with her husband and kids, Odunusi stepped into a Jeff’s Bagel Run for the first time and bit into what she called “the best bagel I ever had in my life.”
“And I really wanted to bring it back to Wilmington,” she added, “to share it with everyone here.”
That Orlando location has grown into a national footprint, with Jeff’s Bagel Run now in six states with more than 45 stores. In North Carolina, there are operations in the Charlotte and Triangle regions. In addition to Oleander Drive, there will be a second Jeff’s Bagel Run opening in Military Cutoff’s upcoming mixed-use complex, Center Point, by Thanksgiving, according to Neeland.
A silent investor and Danielle’s dad, Neeland said after one week into retirement from the state, he got a call from his daughter about potentially franchising the shop and asking for help.
“And here we are,” he recalled. “I look at it as my children are my wealth on this Earth. And this gives me an excuse to play more with my grandchildren.”
Odunusi has had a nursing career, while her husband is a pulmonologist. She wanted a change of pace and thought opening Jeff’s Bagel Run would be a good move as it combines her love for community and socializing with people.
“We are going to be the first who people interact with a lot of time in the morning, and hopefully make their day better, get them off to a great start,” she said, as the bagel shop opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. seven days a week.
Getting into the restaurant business is also tapping into Odunusi and Neeland’s roots. They detailed how their family owned and operated a restaurant, Pot’s On Kitchen, in the Outer Banks area for years. It specialized in country cooking and Odunisi said she worked there during her youth, while also taking server positions in other restaurants during college.
“So it’s in my blood,” she said.
The bagel roller came into the Oleander shop earlier this week and Neeland was able to prepare the first dough round. He said it has to be precise, weighing close to 150 grams and cut in 3.5-inch blocks.
“If it’s more than 150 grams, it looks like a softball,” he quipped. “We proof them overnight before boiling them and then roll the bagels in the toppings and bake them off at 480 degrees.”
While served best hot, the shop can’t toast them as it’s only operating on a bakery license, though Neeland said they can provide some of “the best bagels and spreads to toast at home.”
Odunusi suspects making upward of 800 daily at first but adjusting to the market as need be. She anticipates fulfilling catering and large orders for offices and the like, but any leftover products will go to the Good Shepherd Center or the food bank, she added.
“Our goal is to become the community bagel shop of choice,” Neeland said.
The operation has around 25 employees, with the same expected for the other stores in the franchise agreement. The goal is to choose locations with high foot traffic, thus Oleander Drive and Military Cutoff’s nearly 50,000 cars daily are ideal. They’re considering opening two more shops in Leland and Hampstead next, but where exactly is unclear.
Odunusi said while the Wilmington locations don’t operate with drive-thrus, she hopes Leland can.
“There are a lot of commuters there, so it would make sense,” she said.
Jeff’s Bagel Run has its soft opening next week, with free bagels and spreads offered to the public on Wednesday and Thursday, June 24 and 25, as staff gets its feet under them before the shop launches officially on Friday, June 26. Odunusi said the grand opening begins at 9:30 a.m. with games, activities, a chance to win swag and gift certificates, plus kids’ offerings.
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