By: Michelle Poirier
Butter Bee Bagel has been open for just over a month and owners Jack and Elena Demetriou have been overwhelmed with the support the people of Georgina have shown their business.
“It’s been going great,” Jack said.
“We have gotten a lot of positive feedback, everybody’s happy that we’re here. And we’re continuing to learn as we go.”
The couple said when thinking of opening a business in town they decided on a bagel shop because they love bagels and every time they wanted a fresh bagel they would have to drive to Newmarket.
“The town is growing and there’s loads of people coming from downtown and from other areas and countries. And we needed someplace for them to go to,” Elena said.
All the bagels, spreads and sauces are made in house with Jacks recipes and a focus on quality ingredients. Jack and Elena say they source their ingredients from small companies and bring in the best of the best.
In the month that they have been open, their menu has expanded faster than they anticipated.
“We’re listening to people…we want the community to be a part of it. Whatever they want, they can let us know and if there’s a demand, we will put it on the menu,” Jack said.
The cinnamon raisin bagel, the blueberry bagel, and the jalapeno cheese bagel were all requested bagels. And more requests are coming in, like an onion bagel, and Elena herself has requested an olive bagel, but says she’s getting pushed to the bottom.
“Gluten free has obviously been requested, but we want it to be good,” Elena said.
“It’s getting there,” Jack said.
“Everything takes time, it has to be good or it’s not going out.”
They said the most popular options are currently the egg bagel and the smoke meat bagel, and the most popular bagel types are the everything bagel and rosemary and garlic bagel.
“I’ve seen people become friends here, it’s amazing, I love that, they sit down, they chit chat and they don’t even know each other, they just network with each other and that’s what I like. It’s bringing community together again,” Jack said.
Butter Bee Bagel is located at 213 The Queensway South, Keswick, and they are currently open for their summer hours: Tuesday-Wednesday from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday-Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The bagel bar is open until 5:00 p.m. while their gelato bar and bag a bagel service are available until their closing time.
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