Montreal-style Spread Bagelry - which has been a hit in Rittenhouse since its March 2013 opening - is on the rise.
Owner Larry Rosenblum has inked a lease for a second location, where it will fill the vacancy left by Pizza Rustica at 36th and Chestnut Streets in University City.
Jacob Cooper of MSC Retail, who with brokers Brittany Goldberg and Janey Goldberg handled the transaction, says the university had received 21 offers for the space.
Ultimately, Spread's offer - fueled by the fact that Penn is woefully underbageled since the departures of Izzy & Zoe's and Einstein Bros. - prevailed.
Spread will have 2,300 square feet, a liquor license, and outdoor seating when it opens early in 2016.
Montreal-style bagels, which take a bath in honey water before being baked in a wood-fired oven, are crunchier and somewhat smaller than most other bagels.
Chef Shola Olunloyo is consulting on the menu, which - in addition to the current menu - will be based on bagels.
Among the specialties will be bagel dogs (a baked Hebrew National cheese dog wrapped in bagel
dough), grilled hanger steak (sunny-side-up eggs, hash browns, and garlic bread bagel) and baked crispy chicken (sesame bagel breading, melted tomato and Gruyere, and sauteed garlic spinach).