A New York bagel available to enjoy in the morning was an idea that appealed to Britt Hendrix. And Hendrix liked the idea of being able to get that bagel in downtown Statesboro even more.

Now, Hendrix is set to fulfill both of his ideas with the opening of the Boro Bagel Company on South Main St.

“I thought the heart of downtown Statesboro needed the vibe of a breakfast place where you can get a great bagel,” he said. “I think folks will be surprised about what a real New York bagel tastes like and, so far, the response has been people telling me they’ve never tasted anything like these bagels.”

While, the Boro Bagel Company has had several “soft” openings already, Hendrix said to check the restaurant’s Facebook page for when it will fully open to the public.

“It’ll be soon. Real soon,” he said.

When open, Hendrix said the restaurant hours will be 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. He said the hours may be adjusted if he sees a need.

And Hendrix said the big attraction will be the bagels.

“These bagels are made in New York – the Bronx,” he said. “They are flown in frozen. Everybody knows it’s the water in New York that makes their pizza dough and their bagels have that unique taste. The water comes down from the Catskill Mountains. That’s why it’s so pure and transitions into their food that way.

“I’m trying to bring the taste of New York at an affordable price down here in Statesboro.”

Hendrix said the menu will be limited to begin with and items will be added in the coming months. “We will start simple and have new specialties that we will phase in.

“We will have seven or eight varieties of bagels and, of course, we will offer bagels with just cream cheese or an avocado spread,” he said. “But if you are hungrier, we will offer what we call a bagelwich breakfast sandwich.”

Hendrix said the breakfast bagelwich menu is:

“Boro Bagel” – Bacon, egg and cheese; “Up & At Em’” – Sausage egg and cheese; “Britt’s Bagel” – Fried chicken, egg and cheese.

Lunch bagelwiches:

“True Blue” – Fried chicken, microgreens, tomato, cheese, bacon; “Spicy Italian” – Salami, pepperoni, ham, mozzarella, microgreens, tomato; “Big Ern” – Turkey, ham, bacon, swiss cheese, microgreens, tomato.

Hendrix said breakfast bagelwiches will be available all day. “At noon, if you had a late start to your day, we will offer breakfast at lunch.”

Also, Hendrix is partnering with his next-door neighbor Cool Beanz to make their signature black coffee available at Boro Bagel.

“Cool Beanz has every variety and kind of coffee folks could want, but we can get you a cup of regular coffee,” Hendrix said. “I think you’ll see other partnerships between us and Cool Beanz and some of the other downtown restaurants, as well We’ll work together to share our client base.”

Along with bagels, Hendrix is bringing ice cream to downtown Statesboro. 

“We will be selling ice cream,” he said. “I want to see people walking around downtown with an ice cream cone or cup in their hand. Again, we’ll start simple, but we’ll expand our dessert offerings in the future and even look at opening on Friday and Saturday nights.”

A restaurant dream

Hendrix is from Athens and went to the University of Georgia with a major in turf grass management. He said he worked in that field for a few years, but he felt a different calling.

“I had worked in fine dining establishments and I always thought I wanted to do something in the restaurant business,” Hendrix said.

So, even though he had never been to Statesboro, Hendrix bought the Your Pie pizza restaurant in 2013. He said he enjoyed the experience, but during the COVID pandemic, “I got a little burned out, so I decided to sell it.”

But a few years later, he felt the restaurant pull again.

“I got to missing the business,” Hendrix said. “The day-to-day of running a restaurant, meeting people, working with people.”

Also, Hendrix began a relationship with Maria Phillips, who has supported him and help push him into opening the Boro Bagel Company.

“It’s been everything to have her support,” he said. “She has been instrumental in helping hire people and making design and menu decisions. She is my true partner.”

While he enjoyed his experience as a restaurant owner with Your Pie, he believes his second effort will be even better.

“I learned a lot owning Your Pie on how to keep things simplified operationally and allow us to work more efficiently,” he said. “We want to keep most of our attention on the food and the customers – where it belongs.”