Space City Bagels is taking over the spot of the short-lived Brazos Bagel. Zac Wilson, the brains behind Brazos Bagel, and his partners have split, paving the way for a rebranded venture ready to serve up a fresh batch of bagels.
Space City Bagels, spearheaded by investor Robert Martinez, will open its doors tomorrow at 2155 Durham Dr., as per the Houston Chronicle. New recipes and a fresh start aim to fill the void left after Wilson decided to abruptly close Brazos Bagel amidst surging demand and operational differences with his business partners. Despite the turn of events, Martinez is enthusiastic, saying "We got the recipe and production better than I thought," in a text message and indicating plans to keep bagels boiling and baking fresh daily.
The rebrand to Space City Bagels follows a frenzy kickoff for Brazos Bagel that saw customers lined up at dawn, eager for a taste of Wilson's hand-rolled dedication. Unfortunately, when the shop couldn't keep up with the demand, Wilson parted ways with his partners, who had already expressed interest in ramping up production. “We couldn’t scale up fast enough for them . . . We made a decision to part ways.” Wilson told CultureMap.
Details remain scarce on the closure of Brazos Bagel, but the investors were quick to rebound, transforming their bet into Space City Bagels, set to welcome customers in a more subdued opening. Martinez specifically intends to avoid any spectacle in the first week, opting instead to focus on training staff and fine-tuning operations.
Martinez shared with CultureMap, that Wilson is to certainly return, focusing on supplying his bagels through different outlets in Houston, and possibly revisiting the shop model in the future. "I want to continue to try to support other businesses with our bagels and vice versa," Wilson said.