MACON, Ga. — You will soon be able to have a taste of NY without hopping on a plane to the Big Apple!
Couple Lauren Bone and Patrick Rademaker are bringing NY-style bagels to Central Georgia in their downtown shop -- Macon Bagels.
They got the idea after they were passing through town while on vacation with friends.
Bone says they were trying to find a place to start something new, and that meeting people in the area who were really excited for new things in Macon pushed her to make the jump.
“Macon just seemed like the perfect place to start something,” she said.
They plan to be a traditional bagel shop with fresh bagels being made every morning. You'll be able to get the classics like everything bagels, sesame, and cinnamon raisin.
“I love bagels. I think that’s something I grew up eating. I think it’s something that people who grew up eating bagels are super passionate about. They know what they like, they know the good texture it supposed to be, they know their flavor. Everyone has such an opinion about bagels,” Bone said.
A special item to Macon Bagels will be the adobo cheddar bagel made with smoky chipotle pepper and topped with cheddar cheese.
They'll also offer a variety of flavors of cream cheese made in-house like caramelized onion, garlic herb, and even kimchi.
They plan to offer a pastry menu that will feature cookies, scones, muffins and more. Bone plans to make a rotating menu of what she feels like making and of what is growing that season.
“I like taking whatever’s around -- peaches have been awesome -- so you might see a little peach pie or something on our little pastry display,” she said.
Over the past few months, the duo has been drumming up business for the shop with small pop-ups allowing the community to sample their creations.
Bone says they sold out of their pre-order menu rather quickly and the reception has been incredible.
“We had a lot of people just walk up and just say to us how excited they were about bagels. How they couldn’t get a good bagel or New York-style bagel anywhere near them or anywhere downtown, so they were just so excited for us to open so they could get their bagel fix,” she said.
Rademaker says the excitement from the community was a surprise.
“It’s definitely been more than we could imagine. We kind of thought of it as just a sleepy opening, get started, build up a community around it, but it seems like it's going to go the opposite and just be wild from the start,” he said.
The couple says it feels good to be so close to opening. They plan on having a soft opening sometime this weekend (Aug 21-22). For a specific opening date and time, you can check out their Facebook Page.
They are located at 470 3rd St. in downtown Macon.
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