Free bagels and cream cheese giveaways will headline Bagels & Co.’s grand opening ribbon-cutting celebration slated for Thursday. 

Located below the HUB at 1111 W. University Ave., Ste. 80, Gainesville’s newest quick-serve bagel shop has been entertaining a soft opening since last month and is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day. 

Starting at 7 a.m. on Thursday, the first 100 customers to show up at the storefront can get a free bagel and a side of plain cream cheese before the ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. 

“Bagels & Co. is taking a chomp out of Gainesville!” said the company in a press release. 

With over a dozen varieties of Brooklyn-style bagels baked on-site daily, Bagels & Co. offers traditional flavors like everything, asiago, cinnamon raisin and sesame, and specialty flavors including cranberry oat maple, French toast, blueberry, cheddar habanero, Dorito and Oreo. 

Bagels can be paired with more than 25 homemade cream cheese “schmears” like maple bacon, bacon scallion, birthday cake, sun-dried tomato, lox, black truffle, cookie monster, honey nut, sriracha scallion and veggie tofu. 

Bagels & Co. also offers seasonal flavors, breakfast sandwiches and lunch options, coffee and specialty drinks from La Colombe and will make blue and orange bagels for UF game days. 

Customers can access indoor and outdoor seating, online ordering, catering and 10% discounts for police officers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, doctors, teachers, veterans and active military personnel who order in uniform or present a work ID. 

Founded in 2022, the Philadelphia-based Bagels & Co.’s Gainesville location is the eighth storefront among locations currently operating in Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee. The shop’s website shows seven more coming soon as it aims to expand across the country into more university towns.