Wildly popular Raleigh bagel shop is expanding to North Hills. Here’s when it opens
When it debuted in 2018, Benchwarmers Bagels helped raise the expectations of the Southern bagel. It collected national acclaim and landed on best-of lists.
Now the popular bagel shop is expanding with its third Raleigh shop.
Benchwarmers Bagels will open a new location in Raleigh’s North Hills development. The new shop will be a free-standing location in North Hills Innovation District, opening next to another expanding downtown favorite, Standard Beer + Food.
The North Hills Benchwarmers is expected to open in 2026.
Benchwarmers is owned by Josh Bellamy and Sam Kirkpatrick of Boulted Bread, Andrew Cash of Jubala Coffee and chef John Knox.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to continue to feed our hometown,” said Sam Kirkpatrick, Co-founder of Benchwarmers Bagels in a news release.
In October, Benchwarmers announced its first expansion, a new shop in the upcoming Rockway Raleigh development near Dix Park.
The two new Benchwarmers locations will be expanded versions of the original shop in the Transfer Co. Food Hall. The new locations will also add dinner hours, serving Benchwarmers popular thick crust pizza plus a beverage program.
Both North Hills and Rockway are owned by Kane Realty.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Benchwarmers to the North Hills Innovation District and Rockway,” said Stacey Buescher, managing director of operations for Kane Realty in a release.
“Their success in creating beloved local businesses aligns perfectly with our vision for vibrant, community-centered spaces. We take great pride in Benchwarmers choosing to partner with Kane Realty on not just one, but two significant projects. This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to fostering growth and bringing unique, high-quality experiences to Raleigh. We look forward to the positive impact their presence will have on these districts.”
Benchwarmers uses wood-burning ovens to bake its bagels and that technique will continue at the new shops. Over the years, Benchwarmers has landed on Bon Appetit’s list of best new restaurants in 2019 and later on the magazine’s list of great bagels outside of New York City.
For the owners, they said their aim was to make an impact in their community.
“The pie in the sky goal for us was to become that neighborhood bagel shop and become the standard for customers and their children to compare bagels from other places for the rest of their lives,” Kirkpatrick said earlier this year. “We’re starting to see that. We’ve been around long enough to become that special memory spot for some people.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 9:16 AM.
