Jeff’s Bagel Run has three units open and two more on the way.
Jeff Perera’s bagel business took off in 2020 when he was making as many as 40 dozen bagels a day from his home kitchen and keeping them fresh in a garage full of refrigerators from Facebook Marketplace.
Jeff Perera co-founded Jeff’s Bagel Run.
With people stuck in their homes during the pandemic, buying bagels from a stay-at-home dad’s porch was a chance to socialize in the era of social distancing.
“It was a boom for the bagel business out of my house because everyone was home and they had nothing better to do than scroll deeper and deeper into their feeds on Instagram and Facebook and order bagels from us,” Perera said.
Now, Jeff’s Bagel Run has three locations open in central Florida with another two expected to open in about a month. Perera and his wife, Danielle, started franchising the fresh-made bagel business this year. The first store opened in 2021 in Ocoee, Florida, just outside Orlando.
The franchise tapped Justin Wetherill as its president. Wetherill co-founded uBreakiFix, a phone and computer repair franchise, in 2009. The company has more than 700 locations. After leaving the brand, Wetherill was looking for his next venture.
Justin Wetherill is the president of Jeff’s Bagel Run.
“We both felt there was an opportunity to take some of the experience that I had gained growing uBreakiFix and franchising the brand the remarkable concept that they’ve built,” he said.
Wetherill sees ending this year with 25 units, with about six stores in Orlando and then expanding into other markets with franchisees this summer. A lot of planning went into preparing to open so many new stores, he said. Jeff’s Bagel Run grew its corporate team to boost its technology and supply chain, “to make sure that we’re in a position to support these stores,” Wetherill said.
Bagels will never go out style, it seems, and there’s no shortage of bagel franchises. Panera Brands subsidiary Einstein Bros. Bagels is a major player, with 2022 sales hitting $521 million. New York City’s H&H Bagels started franchising in 2022 and has since signed numerous multi-unit deals. PopupBagels raised “a few million dollars” in its second round of funding to pursue expansion.
One of Jeff’s first franchisees is Brian Hess, who franchised with uBreakiFix since the beginning. Hess plans to open five Jeff’s Bagel Run stores in the Houston market in the next three years.
“I think that there is a big need for something like Jeff’s Bagel Run, especially in my market, Houston, you really can’t get fresh bagels,” he said.
He recalls tasting the bagels in Orlando with his wife. “They were probably the best bagels we ever had,” Hess said.
Prior to trying the product, he wasn’t excited about opening a bagel shop and was even skeptical about doing so. That quality, though, sold him on Jeff’s Bagel Run.
Danielle Perera co-founded Jeff’s Bagel Run.
Bagels are made in store, refrigerated overnight and baked fresh each morning, mirroring operations inside the Perera’s home.
“No bagels make it to the next day,” Danielle Perera said. “We ensure that the freshest product is being delivered to customers.”
The menu features a bagel of the day. Some of this week’s features include “Pigzza pepperoni,” sprinkles and taco.
“Finding fresh made baked goods that come from the local community is rare,” Jeff Perera said. “We want to really try to get a bakery into a lot of communities.”