Bruegger's Inks New Development Agreement in Virginia Beach Area

By: Bruegger's Bagels | 50 Shares 273 Reads

Local Entrepreneurs Bring Bagels to the Old Dominion

June 23, 2011 // Franchising.com // (BURLINGTON, Vt.) – Today, Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. announced a new development agreement with business partners Vish, Hitesh, Nick and BJ Patel, and their company Virginia Bagels LLC, to open six bakeries in Virginia Beach and the surrounding neighborhoods. The new franchisee group joins a growing family of more than 300 bakeries in 26 states and Canada.

The partners in Virginia Bagels represent two generations of entrepreneurial spirit and bring expertise in the areas of commercial real estate, hospitality, engineering and business development to Bruegger's. They plan to open their first bakery in the Hampton Roads section of Tidewater in late 2011.

"The Patel family brings a diverse business background to our team," said Jim Greco, Bruegger's CEO. "We look forward to working with them to open our first bakery in the Virginia Beach area."

The partners have owned and managed many successful businesses in Virginia Beach including hotels, convenient stores and restaurants. Additionally, they own Brier Creek Pharmacy in Raleigh, known for its 24-hour on-call service and deliveries. It is in Raleigh that the group was first introduced to Bruegger's.

"What attracted us to Bruegger's was the company's commitment to its local neighborhoods and its ability to provide healthy breakfast and lunch options," said Nick Patel. "We know Bruegger's high quality, original menu items and warm, friendly environment will be embraced by the residents of Tidewater and Virginia Beach."

For almost 30 years, Bruegger's has been offering its freshly baked bagels, along with a wide variety of breakfast and lunch options, to guests across the country. In March 2011, the firm joined with global bakery and restaurant company Groupe Le Duff to become the world's second largest company in the bakery café sector. BEI's franchise partners operate more than 100 Bruegger's bakeries in 16 states.

About Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc.

Bruegger's Enterprises, Inc. (BEI), a leader in the fast casual restaurant segment, operates 300 Bruegger's bakeries in North America. Renowned for its award winning bagels, Bruegger's offers a wide variety of freshly prepared breakfast and lunch options made with high quality simple ingredients served with its unique brand of hospitality. Bruegger's is dedicated to the communities it serves and supports charitable causes locally and nationally. Through a wholly owned subsidiary, Threecaf Brands Canada Inc., BEI also operates 137 Timothy's World Coffee, mmmuffins and Michel's Bakery Cafés. BEI's parent company, Groupe Le Duff, SA, is the world's second largest company in the café-bakery sector. Founded in 1983, BEI is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont and was a recent winner of Nation's Restaurant News' Golden Chain Award. For more information, please visit www.brueggers.com or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brueggers.

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