Manhattan Bagel Set to Open in Summit

Summit residents will soon have a new option for coffee, bagels and eggs: 25 Union Pl., future home of Manhattan Bagels. Franchise owner Akram Kwaik hopes to open his newest store by the end of November.

The owner of six other Manhattan Bagel franchises—Roseland being the newest location—Kwaik believes in his product. 

“Manhattan Bagel has a good concept,” said Kwaik. “Good coffee, good sandwiches, real American eggs, bacon, taylor ham. Things that you can’t get at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, where they microwave the food.”

Kwaik cites the freshness of the food as the key to Manhattan Bagel’s success.

“Our bagels are boiled and baked every day at each location,” Kwaik said. “Customers love it. Wherever I go, wherever I open a store, things are good.”

Kwaik said he will compete with the Dunkin’ Donuts next door with fresh ingredients, on-site baking, and what he believes is a superior product.

Kwaik is glad to be opening his newest store in Summit. He had wanted a Summit location but could not find a suitable storefront. Kwaik says 25 Union Pl. is exactly where he wants to be.

“I’ve always wanted to be in Summit, even before (the Roseland) location," he said. "Summit is a good town, great people, and they need a bagel store … It has the right atmosphere for our concept.”

With six stores and a seventh on the way, Kwaik finds it impossible to oversee the day-to-day operation of each. Instead, he hires managers to run each location and, like a general, coordinates big-picture strategy. It may sound difficult, but according to Kwaik, “once you have a system in place, it becomes easy after a while.” He said he plans on hiring locally for the Summit store.

Being a franchisee with corporate backing helps, too. “I get a lot of help from corporate,” said Kwaik. Both the franchisee and the corporate office benefit from a strong affiliation.

“It’s a good relationship,” said Gerardo Donatiello, Vice President of Operations for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, the owners of the Manhattan Bagel brand. “(Akram’s) on store number seven. I’d rather have one franchisee for seven locations than seven individual franchisees … It’s been good, it’s been a great relationship.”

Kwaik has filed for all necessary permits and said he needs to finish renovating the space in order to open by the end of November. He credits Summit’s municipal government for being approachable and says that the city has made it very easy to negotiate the bureaucratic minutiae of opening a business.

“(The city has) been very friendly, extremely helpful,” he said. “They welcome any question and answer with a smile. They were very happy to see us in town, actually.”