H&H Bagels, the iconic New York City bagel brand, announced the signing of three additional franchising groups expanding to markets in Miami, Raleigh-Durham, San Diego, and Orange County, bringing their development pipeline to 70 confirmed franchise locations. This will continue the legacy brand’s major nationwide expansion, which began with their first franchise in Boca Raton, Florida (September 2024).
With these newest franchise groups, H&H Bagels will open 20 additional locations – five in Miami, five in Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill, five San Diego, and five in Orange County. The news marks an exciting milestone for the brand, which has already confirmed forthcoming openings including: California (Santa Monica, Echo Park), Connecticut (Stamford), Florida (West Palm Beach, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Jacksonville, Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Boynton Beach), Illinois (Chicago), Massachusetts (Boston), Tennessee (Knoxville), Texas (Dallas), Virginia (Northern, Virginia Beach / Norfolk) and Washington D.C.
The franchise group behind the expansion across San Diego and Orange County, California (AKL Bagels, LLC), is led by a team of experienced franchisees, including Kurt Kuyper, who has over 30 years of experience in franchise operations for well-known brands including Krispy Kreme, where he launched over 120 locations in the US and served as the Director of Operations for Krispy Kreme Australia, Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme, El Pollo Loco, and Rita’s Italian Ice. Additional team members include Jimmy Albano, who has over 20 years of experience in franchise management (including serving as majority partner and daily operator for multiple Krispy Kreme locations), Jay Lowder, a fitness industry veteran and founder of an equipment maintenance company, and Stuart Lowder, a well-known film, animation, and visual effects production professional.
The Miami franchise group is led by Dylan Levin. Previously at GoPuff, Levin helped roll out new business models like alcohol delivery. Levin was also an M&A consultant, where he launched his own product during the pandemic, and has invested in several early-stage startups.
“We’re incredibly excited to continue growing H&H with these truly exceptional franchising partners in Miami, Southern California, and North Carolina.” Says Jay Rushin, CEO of H&H Bagels. “With the success of Boca Raton, and Santa Monica on the horizon, we’re looking forward to sharing the New York City bagel experience with more communities nationwide this year.”