Features

Bethesda Bagels gravitates to Fallsgrove Shopping Center

Ryan Weitz, staff writer|April 20, 2021

Photo used with permission from Google Commons

Bethesda Bagels is expanding from their location in Bethesda Row with a new store in Fallsgrove.

The renowned Bethesda Bagels will open their third location in the Fallsgrove Shopping Center in either September or October. This new Bethesda Bagels location is replacing the store GameStop, which has been around forever (at least forever in the minds of current students). Currently, Bethesda Bagels has two locations: in Bethesda Row and the Wildwood shopping center. Additionally, there are also two locations in Washington, DC, and one in Rosslyn, VA.

GameStop, which used to be thriving in the Fallsgrove shopping center, decided to close 200 locations nationwide. The company wasn’t making as much profit as it used to as there has been a big shift to downloading games online, especially due to the pandemic. “I’m sad that GameStop is going out of business because shopping at that store for Xbox games was a huge part of my childhood, ” senior Matthew Koplan said.

Bethesda Bagels is a family-owned business that started in 1982. It gained popularity due to its New York-style bagels. Bethesda Bagels has a wide variety of food and drinks on its menu. Their menu consists of fresh bagels, sandwiches, salads, pizza and desserts; they also sell their own version of the famous New York pizza bagel.

Details surrounding the opening of this location are not final yet. For example, their business hours have not been posted yet.

The new location is set to have indoor dining to allow for more of a restaurant vibe but still somewhat on the go. All of their bagels are made by hand and are crusty on the outside but chewy on the inside. “Bethesda Bagels has always been one of my favorite places to get bagels; however, having to make the drive all the way to Bethesda is sometimes a hassle,” junior Jenna Siman said.

Bethesda Bagels is sometimes so crowded that they have to turn down large catering orders. “Bethesda Bagels is going to thrive in Fallsgrove as no one can turn down a scrumptious bagel,” senior Rozhin Fadae said.