A Baltimore-area bagel institution is crossing the Mason-Dixon Line for the first time, with THB Bagelry & Deli expected to open its doors at 1605 Liberty Drive, Suite 2, in Thomasville within the first two weeks of October. The family-owned chain, known around Maryland for its slow-fermented bagels and made-from-scratch deli fare, is putting down roots in North Carolina for the very first time.
The Thomasville restaurant is being developed by brothers Gino and Raffaele Di Puorto, who are opening it right beside their existing restaurant, Maki of Japan, according to the-dispatch.com. The outlet reports the new location will be the first THB outside Maryland, and the brand's first-ever foothold in North Carolina.
There is some disagreement in the record about exactly how the Thomasville shop is structured. Gino Di Puorto told the-dispatch.com, “This is still family-owned. It's not a franchise,” while Baltimore Magazine has reported that THB expects its first franchised location, in Thomasville, to open later in 2026. Neither account resolves the discrepancy, and both characterizations come from credible reporting on the same expansion.
What's on the Menu
Once open, the restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch, with a menu that includes bagels, breakfast burritos, omelets, paninis, Italian subs, salads, coffee drinks, energy beverages, lemonades and smoothies, per the same account. The shop will make its own cream cheeses, chicken salad and tuna salad in-house rather than bringing them in pre-made.
THB's signature bagel-making process is notably unhurried: the dough rises for more than 24 hours before it's boiled and baked, with the full process stretching across 48 to 72 hours. The Thomasville location will offer dine-in seating, catering and delivery through DoorDash and Uber Eats, and planned hours are 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
A Baltimore Bagel Shop's Roots
THB Bagelry & Deli traces back to 1999, when four young Italian cousins brought their family's food traditions to Baltimore, according to the Daily Record. CEO and co-founder Tony Scotto, whose family worked in his grandmother's small deli near Naples, Italy, and his relatives officially took over the original Towson location in 2008, before the Scotto family became exclusive owners of THB in 2019, per Baltimore Magazine.
Scotto immigrated from Italy to the United States in 2007, and he has said the North Carolina expansion fulfills a dream nearly 20 years after that move, according to WMAR-2 News. He said his team aims to be the best part of customers' day, a philosophy the station reports has carried the brand from its original 15-seat Towson shop to its current footprint in the Baltimore area.
Exactly how large that footprint has grown depends on which account you read. WMAR-2 News describes THB as operating eight locations across the Baltimore area, while the Daily Record describes seven stores and a commissary. Baltimore Magazine describes THB as an eight-location business, including an eight-location operation with 250 employees in another reference. The company's years in business are similarly disputed, with references ranging from 25 to 27 years depending on the source, and employee and revenue figures also vary between reports — the Daily Record cites 200 employees and $22 million in 2024 revenue, reflecting 16% growth from the prior year.
Bigger Ambitions Beyond Thomasville
Thomasville is not meant to be the end of the road. The Di Puorto brothers already have their sights set on opening additional THB restaurants in surrounding communities once the Thomasville shop is up and running, the-dispatch.com reports. That local push fits into a far larger company goal: Baltimore Magazine reports THB hopes to open as many as 25 additional stores over the next three years, while the Daily Record reports the company aims to reach 18 locations by 2030 through a mix of company-owned and franchised stores, alongside plans to expand its wholesale bagel production and distribution.
Scotto has said THB will remain family-owned at its core even as it grows, and the company has previously said it wants to increase its wholesale and franchise business to keep expanding, according to Baltimore Magazine. For now, Thomasville diners will be the first outside Maryland to find out whether that formula — slow-risen dough, in-house spreads, and a family name on the door — travels as well as the brothers hope.
