never toasted

Florida-based bagel shop sprints into first Houston opening

Jeff's Bagel Run has arrived in Houston.

Courtesy of Jeff's Bagel Run

Houston has a new option for hot bagels. Jeff’s Bagel Run, a Florida-based bagel bakery and coffee shop, will celebrate its grand opening this Friday, January 10.

Located in West University Place at 3849 Bellaire Blvd., Jeff’s Bagel Run serves 15 flavors of bagels in both traditional flavors like poppy, sesame, salt, and everything as well as more unusual twists such as asiago, cacio e pepe, and jalapeno cheddar. Daily specials, announced via social media, give customers even more options. Since the bagels are boiled and baked throughout the day, they’re served hot — without the need for toasting that’s an anathema for bagel purists.

Its spread are similarly diverse, covering everything from chive and onion and plain cream cheese to more offbeat choices such as banana pudding, cannoli, and espresso. Vegan spreads are also available. Beverage choices include hot or iced coffee, lattes in a range of flavors, cold brew, and lemonade.

Danielle and Jeff Perera founded Jeff’s Bagel Run in 2019 as a home-based business. When demand surged during the pandemic, they opened their first brick-and-mortar location in Ocoee, Florida in 2021. Eventually, they drew the attention of uBreakiFix founder Justin Wetherill, who provided the necessary backing for additional locations in Central Florida.

Houston franchisees Brian and Jillian Hess also own uBreakiFix locations. They’re bringing their franchise expertise to bring as many as five Jeff’s to Houston.

“Houston is a culinary powerhouse like no other, and we’re so honored to be joining the city’s renowned food scene,” Jillian Hess said in a statement. “When we first visited Jeff’s Bagel Run in Orlando, we fell in love with the amazing bagels and knew we stumbled upon something truly great. We’re really proud of the product and mission behind the business — we can’t wait for Houstonians to experience it for themselves!”

For the grand opening, which begins at 6:30 am on Friday, the first 100 customers will receive a free West U. tote bag and complimentary bagel cards. The store will be open daily from 6:30 am - 2 pm.

Here’s a sneak peek at the Houston location from local influencer Iris Chang, who has more than 57,000 followers as @thehungrypetite.

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A post shared by Iris Chang | Houston TX Food (@thehungrypetite)

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it's all happening

Fried chicken chain Bojangles sets opening date for first Houston store

Courtesy of Bojangles

Bojangles is finally opening its first Houston-area location.

The wait is nearly over for the first Houston location of Bojangles. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based fried chicken chain will open its first Houston-area location on Tuesday, February 4, a representative tells CultureMap.

Located at 6719 N. Grand Parkway in Spring, it will be the first of several Bojangles locations to open across greater Houston in 2025, with other stores planned for Tomball, Richmond, Baytown, Webster, and League City. The restaurant already has a strong presence in the Dallas area. Overall, the restaurant has more than 800 locations in 17 states.

Located primarily in the Southeast, Bojangles was founded in 1977. It has earned a devoted following for its chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, and scratch-made biscuits, which are made constantly throughout the day. It further distinguishes itself by serving breakfast until 2 pm. The restaurant’s Southern-inspired sides include dirty rice, mac & cheese, Cajun pinto beans, and Bo-Tato Rounds, a hash brown-style potato.

Part of Bojangles’ appeal is the way it prepares its chicken. Every piece is breaded by hand. In addition, its just Cajun spices for an appealing — thought not overwhelming — amount of heat. Notably, the Houston locations will not serve bone-in chicken. A representative provided CultureMap with the following explanation for the decision.

"As consumer demand for boneless chicken continues to grow, Bojangles is streamlining its menu in new markets with a hand-breaded boneless chicken platform that delivers the bold, Southern flavor that only Bojangles can provide. The simpler menu decreases complexity in the kitchen and helps us execute at a much higher level," the representative writes in an email.

"The expansion menu features the hand-breaded Bo’s Chicken Biscuit for breakfast and Bo’s Chicken Sandwich and Bo’s Chicken Tenders for lunch and dinner, with no bone-in chicken. We also have items such as premium salads, lemonade, brewed iced coffee, and milkshakes in new markets."

Count Joshua Weissman as a fan. The Texas-based chef-turned-YouTube star and cookbook author rated the Bojangles chicken sandwich as the second most-delicious fried chicken sandwich (out of 24 entries) and the second most-delicious chicken tenders (out of 19 entries).

“This is exactly what I’m looking for in a chicken tender,” Weissman says in the clip, which has almost 3 million views. “Seasoned beautifully. A little bit of spice but not it’s not too spicy … It’s juicy. The chicken’s not dry. The chicken is crunchy.”

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The article has been updated to clarify that Houston-area locations will not serve bone-in chicken.

Courtesy of Bojangles

Bojangles is finally opening its first Houston-area location.

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