Written by Timothy Boone for The Advocate | May 16, 2017

New York Bagel Café and Deli will open its first Baton Rouge restaurant in mid-July, across from Whole Foods.

The restaurant applied last week for a building permit to renovate a 1,300-square-foot space at 7569 Jefferson Highway. Michael Sale Stinson, an agent with Saurage Rotenberg Commercial Real Estate who had the lease on the building, said the space is next to a Papa John’s.

Aileen Depol, who will serve as the local franchisee along with her brother, Marvin Casiano, said New York Bagel Café will be open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week.

The restaurant will offer a variety of bagels, featuring everything from jalapeno peppers to apple cinnamon. New York Bagel Café also will sell sandwiches and soups, Depol said.

While there will only be 10 seats in the restaurant, Depol said New York Bagel Café will offer delivery and take-out service, along with catering.

Depol said she chose the Jefferson Highway location because of the demographic profile and the proximity to Whole Foods. “Our brand is offering healthy foods for our customers,” she said. “People in that neighborhood prefer healthy foods.”

There are 17 New York Bagel Café and Deli locations across the U.S., including a Houma restaurant. Depol and Casiano are not involved in that restaurant. She hopes to open more locations across metro Baton Rouge.

The restaurant will start with three employees.

Mike Stinson, a native of Monroe, Louisiana, is a graduate of Louisiana State University (LSU). A real estate licensee since 2004, Mike specializes in the sale and leasing of commercial real estate. A Designee member of the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM), Mike’s other professional memberships include Baton Rouge’s Commercial Investment Division (CID), the LSU Alumni Association, REALTOR Land Institute (RLI), and an affiliate member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

Saurage Rotenberg Commercial Real Estate is a member of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce (BRAC); the West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce; the Baton Rouge Better Business Bureau; the Louisiana Commercial Data Base (LACDB); and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Several agents, on an individual basis, are members of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors® (SIOR), the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM); the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR); and the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS® Commercial Investment Division (CID).