Hunter's Bagels opened its doors Monday at 19905 West Catawba Avenue in Cornelius, serving scratch-made bagels built on a family recipe with roots going back 60 years to a Brooklyn kitchen. The space was renovated and outfitted with commercial boiling and baking equipment before the shop welcomed the Lake Norman community in for its first taste.
The shop sits in Suite 105 inside the Johnsbury Square commercial center, a multi-tenant retail complex that puts Hunter's Bagels along one of the busiest stretches of road in the submarket, according to LoopNet, which notes West Catawba Avenue carries roughly 30,000 vehicles a day past the storefront. Kurz brought the recipe to Cornelius, while Roth grew up around the business, raised by parents who ran their own bagel shop for nearly two decades, according to Cornelius Today. The pair relocated from South Florida to North Carolina this year, with Kurz selling his custom golf cart dealership to make the move, per the same report.
From Golf Carts to Bagel Dough
Roth and Kurz had considered opening a bar and grill or a deli before landing on bagels, the Cornelius Today report states. Kurz has said the decision came down to frustration with the local options, telling the outlet they opened the shop after finding area bagels inadequate. Roth, who has spent his entire career in hospitality, has said the goal is simple: make every guest feel welcome and happy.
That hospitality-first mindset shows up in the shop's hours and its hardware. Hunter's Bagels operates daily from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to the Hunter's Bagels website. Before the official opening, the owners tested their recipes and kitchen workflow by selling pre-ordered bagel dozens and cream cheese tubs online through Hotplate in September, building local demand ahead of the storefront debut.
Betting Big on Bagel-Making Equipment
The investment behind the counter runs well beyond the ovens and racks visible to customers. Roth and Kurz put six figures into bagel-making equipment, the Cornelius Today report notes, including an Empire oven designed to produce bagels with chewy interiors and crispy shells. Empire Bakery Equipment, the manufacturer, builds commercial revolving tray ovens and bagel machinery capable of boiling and baking up to 3,600 bagels per hour, engineering meant to deliver the even heat distribution that authentic New York-style crusts require.
Kurz has said that level of investment exists for one reason: consistency, so customers get the same bagel every time they walk in. There is no microwave on the premises, and the shop makes everything from scratch, per Cornelius Today's reporting. The menu stretches from breakfast sandwiches like The Hunter, built with scrambled eggs and Boar's Head cheese, and The Buck, which adds a crispy hash brown, to lunch offerings including Nova lox, turkey clubs and house-made salads, according to Power 98 FM. Specialty schmears round out the spread, including scallion, vegetable, lox spread, hummus, maple bacon, Nutella, strawberry and honey almond, alongside coffee and Dr. Brown's sodas, a staple of traditional New York and South Florida delis, as reported by WhatNow.
A Name, a Logo, and a Family Reunion
The shop's name and branding trace directly back to Kurz's one-year-old son, Hunter. Deer antlers appear in the logo, and menu items borrow outdoors-inspired names like Hunter, Buck and Doe. The owners have said they want the space to feel like an old-school deli and bakery, right down to the deliberate absence of laptop power outlets meant to keep the focus on service and conversation rather than screens.
That old-school feel extended to the shop's interior, which was fully renovated with a warm, lodge-inspired design put together by Kurz's mother. The storefront itself carries history of its own: the suite previously housed Coffee Republic & Bakery, a regional coffee and bakery concept, according to Cornelius Today.
Before the grand opening, Kurz and Roth hosted a reunion with family members visiting from New York to sample the bagels firsthand. Those family members said the bagels reminded them of home. The owners were still finishing construction on the shop in late July, and Hunter's Bagels opened on October 12, 2026; its grand opening was expected later that month.
The storefront's visibility, paired with scratch-made bagels and a family story six decades in the making, gives Hunter's Bagels a built-in audience from day one.
