Pete’s Bagels to double in size with move to former Good Intentions space in Grand Central District

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Pete’s Bagels will relocate to 1900 1st Avenue South, formerly home to Good Intentions | St. pete Rising

After a sudden opportunity arose just four blocks from its current shop, Pete’s Bagels is preparing to move into a new space twice the size of its current location in the Grand Central District.

The local bagel company will relocate from 2361 1st Avenue South to 1900 1st Avenue South, a 4,200-square-foot repurposed Quonset hut that most recently housed the vegan restaurant Good Intentions, which closed earlier this summer after four years in business.

Pete’s plans to close its current shop for one day on Monday, October 5th, while its team moves equipment and furnishings overnight. The new location is expected to open Tuesday, October 6th.

Owner Steven Peterman said Pete’s was not actively searching for a larger space, but its current landlord planned work to the property that would have required the business to close temporarily.

The owners of the Good Intentions building, who also own Pete’s former production kitchen, reached out about the available space.

“We love our current home and the neighborhood and were not looking at new spaces, but this opportunity came about so we acted quickly,” Peterman said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising during a recent tour of the building.

The interior of Pete’s new location, formerly home to Good Intentions | Good Intentions

Workers are now repainting the interior, refreshing the landscaping, and preparing the space for its quick turnaround.

Much of what customers recognize from the current location will come along with them, including Pete’s booths, artwork, familiar menu, and Look Alive Coffee program.

But with roughly twice as much room, Peterman said the business can get closer to a vision he has had since opening Pete’s in 2019.

“I’ve always dreamed of having a vintage diner, and we tried to give the 1st Avenue South shop that feel with having a couple of booths and tables,” Peterman said. “With this bigger space, I can get closer to accomplishing that dream.”

The new shop will have 12 booths, additional tables, bar seating, and room for nearly 100 guests once fully built out. The current location has seating for about 42 people. Outdoor seating along Central Avenue is also in the works.

There will also be a larger retail section stocked with useful home goods, food items, supplies, and branded merchandise. Peterman said the shop is leaning into the original idea behind Pete’s General, with more everyday products rather than simply gift items.

The millennial bagel sandwich, made with House everything seasoned avocado spread, arugula, pickled red onions, and cucumber on your choice of bagel | Pete’s Bagels

A branded photo booth from Majestic Photo Booths is expected to arrive shortly after opening. Its photo strips will feature Pete the Manatee, the company’s mascot.

For opening week, the menu will remain largely the same, including Pete’s bagels, breakfast sandwiches, house-made cream cheeses, and coffee. The business currently offers nine bagel varieties boiled and baked fresh daily.

However, Peterman said the team is working toward a weekend brunch service with straightforward diner staples such as waffles, pancakes, and eggs.

“We are not reinventing anything,” Peterman said. “We just want to be a comfort food place where people come with their families.”

The team also hopes to serve the neighborhood’s vegan community, which Good Intentions previously served. Pete’s bagels are naturally vegan, and the shop already offers vegan options, but Peterman said the expanded kitchen could allow the business to offer more.

Peterman said the plan is still coming together, but he hopes to eventually serve beer, wine, and cocktails in the evenings.

The Breakfast Sandwich from Pete’s Bagels, made with an Over medium egg, American cheese, and butter on lightly toasted bagel of your choice | Pete’s Bagels

In addition to the new location, the company recently opened a production kitchen in Gulfport, giving it much more capacity for bagel production.

It also allows Pete’s to return to a more traditional bagel-making process, using bagel boards, which are essentially wooden planks wrapped in burlap and soaked in water. The bagels are placed upside down on the boards for part of the bake, helping create a crisp exterior and soft interior.

“Over the next week, we’re going back to the really traditional way of making the bagels,” Peterman said. “We had to change the process a while ago to keep up with demand, but we’re going back to using bagel boards and the traditional revolving oven that we couldn’t fit in our old space.”

Pete’s Bagels first opened in St. Pete’s Historic Uptown in 2019. The company now operates its Grand Central shop, a drive-thru location in south St. Pete, a sister location in Ybor City, and a newer café in Tarpon Springs.

Peterman also owns Seymour’s, a New York-style bagel shop in downtown St. Pete’s Snell Arcade.

For now, the immediate focus is getting the new shop open, keeping the staff working, and giving Pete’s customers a place that feels familiar while offering more room to stay awhile.

“We want this to be a community hangout,” Peterman said. “We want you to come, work here, hang out, bring your family, bring your kids. Even if you’re just buying a coffee and sitting there, we want to be that daytime place.”

Be sure to follow Pete’s Bagels on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date.