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By JULIA FERRANTE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 28, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Joseph Todd has searched high and low in the Tampa Bay area for the perfect bagel, the kind they make in New York, with a "nice crust" on the outside and the soft but not too doughy middle.

He tried many bagel shops before, only to be disappointed.

"Bagels in Florida are very soft," Todd said. "They're more like bread."

Then, about a year ago, Todd met Greg Hoop, who was moving in to his Lake Thomas neighborhood with plans to open a Big Apple Bagels franchise in Canoe Commons, south of State Road 54 and east of Collier Parkway. Hoop told his new neighbor the bagels would be like they are up North.

"I told him if it comes out that way, you've got a steady customer," Todd said. "I come in here every week and get a dozen and a half. These are the best bagels in town."

Hoop, who owned a telemarketing company, and partner Keith Brackin, who ran a trucking business, decided to form a partnership about a year and a half ago. They got the idea while playing golf in St. Petersburg. They had a habit of stopping by a bagel shop for coffee and a breakfast sandwich before tee time.

The partners chose to build in Canoe Commons and the S.R. 54 corridor because lots of younger families and more development are expected to come to the area, and the price was right.
Brackin said the downturn in the building industry does not seem to be hurting the business. They built their storefront and bakery on a 3,000-square-foot lot. The only disadvantage so far, Brackin said, is that the store is hidden by a fence enclosing an adjacent storage facility to the west.

Brackin, 38, who has lived in west Hillsborough County since 1978, when his dad retired from a job at MacDill Air Force Base, was looking for an enterprise with better hours so he could spend more time with his wife of 12 years, Gian, and their children, ages 7 and 9. He starts his day at 4:15 a.m., when the first set of bagels goes in for baking, and ends at 4 p.m. That gives him enough time to be head coach of his son's Little League team.

Big Apple Bagels, based in Deerfield, Ill., began exclusively as a bagel shop, using a recipe from a New York City bakery, Brackin said. It now is a four-brand franchise that encompasses the bagel division, My Favorite Muffin, Brewster's Coffee and Freshens frozen yogurt. The company has more than 250 franchises in 25 states, with heavy concentrations in Michigan and Wisconsin. There also are two franchises in Dubai, at Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City.

Bagels and bagel sandwiches are the main focus of the Land O' Lakes store, which opened Dec. 1 and held its grand opening this month. Big Apple Bagels also offers muffins made on site, coffee, frozen yogurt and smoothies. The store has counter service, indoor and outdoor seating, and free wireless access.

In the back of the store, a baker feeds ingredients into a 100-pound dough machine each morning, then moves the dough to another machine to be cut and rolled and shaped into bagels. The bagels must set for eight hours in a walk-in refrigerator. They then are placed on baking sheets, threaded onto racks on a tall rolling cart, which is fitted into the rotating steam oven, and baked for about 15 minutes.

So far, business has been steady, with sales growing every week, Brackin said. In fact, the Land O' Lakes store ranked among the top 10 within the company for grand openings. A competing franchise, Bagel Bagel Cafe at State Road 56, closed about four weeks after Big Apple Bagels opened. His loyal customers compare his bagels with those of an independent business off North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa Bagels.

"People come in. They know what a bagel is," he said. "They will buy two or three dozen at a time and freeze them."

If things go well, Brackin and Hoop may consider opening other stores.

"It's definitely an option," he said. "Since we're a production facility, this store can support up to two more stores."

Jesse Barber, a Hillsborough County detention deputy from Land O' Lakes, is another regular. He stops by Big Apple Bagels every morning for a smoothie and sometimes a bagel sandwich before work. He comes back in the afternoon for another smoothie before working out.

"The people are very friendly," Barber said. "They call you by your first name."

BIG APPLE BAGELS
WHERE: 23908 State Road 54, No. 101, in Canoe Commons, Land O' Lakes

HOURS: 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

CALL: (813) 949-3187

ONLINE: www.bigapple bagels.com

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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