PopUp Bagels is lining up a fast Twin Cities expansion that could bring its buzzed-about tear-and-dip bagels to Minneapolis’s North Loop as soon as this fall. Franchise operators have zeroed in on a North Loop site and are already advertising for leadership and operations roles, signaling that multiple metro openings are on deck. If the rollout lands on schedule, the city’s breakfast scene gets a new national, social-media-fueled player and dozens of fresh hospitality jobs in one swoop.
According to the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, a franchisee told a neighborhood group the North Loop shop could open by September or October, with plans focused on 107 Third Ave. N. The Business Journal reported that job postings and recruiting activity line up with a broader Twin Cities rollout beyond that single storefront.
Job listings from Hustle & Dough, the exclusive Midwest development group for PopUp Bagels, show the operator hiring for founding leadership roles, including a Founding General Manager/Bagel Chef and a Founding Director of Operations. Per descriptions on Indeed, those positions are explicitly tasked with launching PopUp Bagels locations across the Twin Cities and building out the local operations team, which suggests this is meant to be a multi-store push, not a one-off experiment.
Fast-Rising Brand And Its Midwest Move
PopUp Bagels has been on a rapid national growth kick, recently announcing a Midwest debut in Chicago and touting sizable franchising ambitions in its press materials. In a press release via GlobeNewswire, the company detailed its Chicago plans, while the brand’s own site leans hard into the signature “Grip, Rip and Dip” style and rotating weekly schmears that have helped fuel a hefty social-media following.
What It Could Mean For North Loop Bakers
In the neighborhood, PopUp would be joining an already-established bagel scene. Minneapolis is home to craft spots like Rise Bagel Co., which opened its North Loop retail shop in 2017 and has since built a loyal morning crowd. As Star Tribune coverage and local listings note, when a national concept moves in, it can shuffle foot traffic, delivery routes, and breakfast routines around longtime neighborhood staples.
The franchisee’s timing could still shift, but the identified North Loop address and active hiring push remain the clearest signs that PopUp’s Twin Cities plans are moving from scouting to buildout. For those tracking the rollout, PopUp Bagels’ locations page and local job boards will likely be the first places to show firm opening dates as the North Loop bagel race heats up.
