TL;DR
PopUp Bagels, a bagel concept, ranked first in the 2026 Future 50 list after starting its first drive-thru in 2021. The company expanded to 23 locations through franchising by 2025, achieving over 155% year-over-year growth.
Landing in the top spot of the 2026 Future 50 is PopUp Bagels, a concept that started selling bagels and schmears at its first drive-thru in 2021. Customers who couldn't wait to dig in pulled off pieces of hot bagel to dip into cups of cream cheese and flavored butter on the way home. Founder Adam Goldberg tapped into the dipping craze and trademarked the phrase "grip-rip-and-dip" as a marketing hook.
By 2025, PopUp Bagels had expanded through franchising into 23 locations -- a net gain of 14 units and over 155% year-over-year growth. Although some of the stores now have seating, the freshly baked bagels are never sliced and spread. Instead, they are sold in orders of three, six, or 12 with rotating schmears.
In this story
This story was originally published in Restaurant Business on October 29, 2026. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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