A New York-style bagel shop is coming this summer to St. Pete Beach
/Tiki Bagel will debut in June at 455 75th Avenue, formerly home to Sunrise Tacos and Gayle’s Diner | TikI Bagel
In mid-June, St. Pete Beach residents and visitors will be able to enjoy authentic, Brooklyn-made bagels with a tropical twist.
Opening at 455 75th Avenue — formerly the home of Sunrise Tacos, and before that, the venerable Gayle’s Diner — Tiki Bagel will serve bagels made by Noshman’s Bagel of New York City, a wholesaler that ships partially baked bagels to restaurants, delis, and bakeries around the country.
According to the Noshman’s Bagel website, the company uses a recipe pioneered by Jewish immigrants that dates to the 1890s.
“We’re working directly with Noshman’s CEO Mark Halprin,” Tiki Bagel owner P.J. Powell said in an interview with St. Pete Rising. “And yeah, they're going to partially bake them for us, ship them down, and then we'll finish them off here. You're going to get a legit, fresh New York City bagel.”
Powell originally hails from Atlanta but moved to St. Pete Beach about five years ago. His parents live in The Villages and his wife, Karen Powell, grew up in Lakeland, so the couple has strong connections to Florida. They both have backgrounds in the tech industry — Powell worked for Google at one point in his career but wanted a lifestyle change. The couple has always wanted to try their hands at entrepreneurship.
“Even pre-COVID, we were looking for a lifestyle change,” Powell said. “We certainly don’t miss the Atlanta traffic.”
Powell is targeting a June 15th grand opening for Tiki Bagel. In addition to bagels, the restaurant will serve avocado toast and a variety of breakfast sandwiches, as well as coffee provided by Tampa-based Elevation Coffee.
Local artist Leo Gomez was commissioned to paint a mural for Tiki Bagel, opening soon on St. Pete Beach | Tiki Bagel
Tiki Bagel will also feature a cereal bar for kids, which Powell expects to be popular with families visiting the area.
“Kids will be able to serve themselves, and there will be interesting toppings that they can put on their cereal. We’re going to get them all amped up on sugar and send them to the beach,” he said with a laugh.
Prices will range from $3.95 for a classic bagel to $11.95 for a craft bagel or breakfast sandwich. A classic bagel is simply a bagel with cream cheese or another traditional topping. Craft bagels can have a wide variety of interesting toppings, such as fried pineapple, bacon, sausage, etc.
Another unique menu item, Powell said, will be the deconstructed bagel bucket. Basically, it’s a sliced-up bagel in a cup mixed with toppings such as ham, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. It’s designed to be a handheld meal that can easily be transported to the beach.
“Rather than having a sandwich or something like that,” Powell said, “You can have something a little different.”
Tiki Bagel will be able to accommodate up to 60 guests. There will be indoor and outdoor bar seating, as well as surfboard-shaped community table, and booths inside. Also, local artist Leo Gomez has been hired to paint a mural on the side of the building.
Eventually, Powell said, he would like to open a handful of additional company-owned Tiki Bagel locations and then begin franchising the concept.
“We’d like to primarily have them on the west coast of Florida,” he said. “We’ve looked across the state to places like Stuart and Fort Lauderdale, but we’d prefer to stay on the Gulf side.”
He added, “When we were younger, my wife and I wanted to start our own business, but it was super expensive to start a franchise, and so we're going to make our franchise a low-cost venture that’s financially accessible for young entrepreneurs. We're not going to be charging a massive franchise fee.”
Tiki Bagel will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It will be closed on Mondays.
For more information and updates, follow Tiki Bagel on Instagram.
