Einstein Bros. Bagels to open 5 bakeries in Cincinnati and remodel its West Chester Twp. store

Guests can expect bagels to be baked fresh every morning, and throughout the day, alongside a menu that pushes the traditional bagel boundaries. From an extensive lineup of double-whipped cream cheese shmears (flavored cream cheese spreads) to destination Signature Egg Sandwiches like the All-Nighter, Texas Brisket and Maplehouse.

The five new restaurants will be rebranded and open in former Bruegger’s Bagels locations.

“Einstein Bros. Bagels is our one national brand that really crosses the country. So, we already own some Bruegger’s, and those are just going to be conversions. We are testing out this new concept of taking a Bruegger’s location and putting the new Einstein Bros. Bagels design into it, and seeing how that goes,” Modzel said.

He said there are a lot of things he’s excited about. Cincinnati will be the first market in the nation to debut the ‘Elevate the Morning’ bakery design that delivers a warm, welcoming atmosphere reflective of the brand’s fun personality and fast-casual experience, focused on showing off its fresh-baked bagels. The company did a lot of work with all of the team members and leaders to gather insight into its mission.

“At the end of the day, we all, collectively, came up with a mission statement, which is ‘we help others own the morning,’ and the idea comes from the thought that all of our bagel companies, Einstein Bros. and Bruegger’s, we are part of people’s beginnings, the beginning of the day, and we really get to set the tone for their day,” Modzel said.

With the input of staff and customers insight and feedback, the company was inspired to take a look at everything from the design and seating to come up with the new ‘Elevate the Morning’ concept.

“I’m excited to get to introduce the ‘Elevate the Morning’ bakery design to our guests, because we believe this new design is going to help people feel uplifted when they visit. It’s bright, morning colors, inspired by the sunrise. It’s custom art that is playful, fun and optimistic, and then, the bagels are front and center,” said Modzel.

He said when customers walk in, they will see “We are about bagels, and we make them fresh every morning. We have a baker that comes in and bakes bagels for us, every day, throughout the day, and we want those to be the showpiece.”

“The other thing I’m really excited about is guests have told us that they really want to have optionality in their experience. Some days, they want to order ahead through the app, walk in, and have it be seamless. I know right where to go, get my order and get out, seize the day, and I’ve had a great start,” Modzel said. “Other guests want to meet a friend, have a bagel and a coffee, and they want to talk to each other, and they want some space for that. So, we think this design really meets all of our guests needs and what they’ve told us they want out of our locations, and we are excited to offer that.”

Bagel shop openings will be through winter 2026. Rebranded locations in Madeira Crossing, Clifton and Blue Ash will open in the fall of 2025, while the Columbia Square and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG) Airport locations are slated to open in the winter of 2026. The pre-existing West Chester Einstein Bros. location will open in the winter of 2025, after a total remodel.

Bruegger’s Bagels, located inside Hyde Park Plaza on Paxton Avenue, is set to permanently close at the end of 2025 as part of a broader rebranding initiative of Bagel Brands, the parent company responsible for transforming the other Cincinnati locations into Einstein Bros. Bagels.

According to Modzel, the company is also exploring additional Cincinnati locations with a plan to open new locations next year.

“We also have some new locations we are scouting out to grow that market,” he said.

Einstein Bros. Bagels has been baking fresh bagels since 1995. This year marks their 30th anniversary of bagel expertise.

Einstein Bros. Bagels has more than 700 locations nationwide, over half of which are corporate owned.

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