A fast-growing Florida bagel chain is moving into a stretch of U.S. 1 South in St. Augustine that's been sitting half-empty since a bank branch shut its doors. Jeff's Bagel Run plans to occupy space next to Chipotle in the former Wells Fargo building, bringing the chain its first-ever location in St. Johns County. Officials approved building plans for a 1,732-square-foot shop space on Oct. 13, though no opening date has surfaced yet.
The shop is slated for 4285 U.S. 1 South, in front of the Publix-anchored Moultrie Square shopping center at Wildwood Drive, according to St. Johns Citizen. The former Wells Fargo drive-thru was converted into the new shop space, while Chipotle moved into the building's other suite. That Wells Fargo branch closed back in May 2024, leaving the spot vacant for more than a year before word of a new tenant emerged.
There's still no firm timeline for when St. Augustine bagel fans can actually walk in and order. The filings don't list an opening date, though the outlet notes the company's own website already lists the St. Augustine shop as coming soon. That's often the first real sign a storefront is getting close, even without permits or a lease confirmed publicly.
A Central Florida Chain Pushing Into Northeast Florida
Jeff's Bagel Run is a Central Florida-born chain that's been on something of a tear across the state and beyond. The St. Augustine shop would follow the company's first Northeast Florida location, which opened in Neptune Beach in March. That shop, at 628 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 4, held soft openings on March 4 and 5 ahead of a grand opening on March 6, according to the Jax Daily Record.
The Florida Times-Union reported that the Neptune Beach store was the first of seven planned Jeff's Bagel Run shops in the Jacksonville area, a sign the chain sees real appetite for its bagels across the region. The Neptune Beach location itself was the company's first Northeast Florida store, per the same Jax Daily Record account, which also traced the chain's roots back to 2019, when it started with pandemic-era deliveries before opening its first brick-and-mortar shop in Ocoee in 2021.
From Farmers Markets to a Fast-Growing Franchise
Jeff and Danielle Perera grew the business from homemade bagels shared with friends and sold to neighbors into a farmers-market staple before it became a storefront operation. Every location makes its bagels from scratch, according to the company, proofing the dough overnight before boiling and baking it throughout the day. The menu includes plain, sesame, and asiago everything bagels alongside specialty cream cheeses like cacio e pepe and banana pudding.
The chain's growth numbers vary depending on when they were tallied. GrowFL has reported the company operating 26 locations across eight states, while other 2026 reporting pegged the total at 41 open locations across 10 states, with more than 150 additional locations in development, according to Yahoo Finance. GrowFL also reported that the company saw roughly 300% revenue growth over the prior 12 months, crediting store expansion, guest loyalty and franchising, and noted each store typically employs 15 to 20 team members. The chain ranked No. 94 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list, including No. 2 among food and beverage companies, Yahoo Finance reported.
Expansion Stretching From Brandon to Utah
The St. Augustine project is just one piece of a broader rollout happening at the same time. In the Tampa Bay area, Rob and Teresa Shuffield have opened Jeff's Bagel Run locations in The Villages in April, Gainesville in July, and most recently in Bloomingdale, at 875 E. Bloomingdale Ave. in Brandon between Bealls and EOS Fitness, according to the Osprey Observer.
Out west, Rise Harvest has signed a seven-unit area development agreement and intends to develop at least 15 Jeff's Bagel Run locations across Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties in Utah, per Utah Business. The first of those, in Midvale, is expected to open by the end of 2026 as the brand's first operating Utah location, bringing an estimated 20 to 30 new jobs to the community.
Back in St. Augustine, the former bank building's quiet transformation into a bagel-and-burrito pairing fits the pattern of a chain still figuring out exactly how fast it can grow. For now, St. Johns County residents will have to keep watching the filings and the company's own website for word of an actual opening date.
