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Sarah Dias usually starts off her morning with a good bagel, especially since she grew up in New Jersey. As an employee of the newly-opened Schoolyard Bagels, which sits adjacent to Syracuse University, Dias hopes the new venue will be a hot spot for students to get high-quality bagels.

“With Schoolyard Bagels, I feel like we have a place where the main purpose is to make good bagels and be a Syracuse student,” Dias, a freshman majoring in anthropology and policy studies, said.

Schoolyard Bagels — a New York City-style bagel shop located on the corner of Marshall Street and University Avenue — opened its doors to the Syracuse community Thursday morning. The new eatery aims to bring “handmade bagels and homemade Italian food” from Brooklyn to Syracuse, according to its website. Like Dias, SU students and employees expressed optimism for the new bagel shop — specifically its proximity to main campus and late operating hours.

Luke Maddren, a SU senior majoring in television, radio and film, arrived at Schoolyard Bagels 10 minutes before the bagel shop opened at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. After previously studying abroad in New York City, Maddren said they missed having a “great bagel place” nearby.

Outside of Water Street Bagel Co. in downtown Syracuse, Maddren said, the surrounding university area lacked a “real bagel.” At Schoolyard Bagels, customers can choose between 10 unique bagels, nine breakfast sandwiches and 18 “specialty” sandwiches, according to the shop’s menu.

Brenda Martinez, an employee at Schoolyard Bagels, expressed a similar sentiment to Maddren’s. Martinez, an SU junior studying international relations and political science, hopes the location can fulfill students’ desire for a bagel shop that is accessible to most SU students.

“We always needed a bagel place on campus,” Martinez said. “I think this campus really just needed a place to have bagels and for students to come.”

The process to bring New York City-style bagels to Syracuse began approximately five years ago, said Peter Lombardo, one of the three owners of Schoolyard Bagels. For four years, Lombardo sought to find a location for Schoolyard Bagels along with Nick Castronuovo and Carmine Curra — the other two owners.

An opportunity opened right next to SU’s campus following the closure of the Starbucks at 177 Marshall Street in June 2022. Just over nine months later, Christopher Snyder, an associate real estate broker for University Hill Realty, announced the location would be converted into a bagel shop and deli.

Newhouse senior Luke Maddren was Schoolyard Bagels’ very first customer. Maddren waited outside of the doors before they opened at 6:30 a.m. to buy a bagel and coffee before their early morning work shift.

Cassandra Roshu | Photo Editor

Following renovations at the venue, Lombardo said Schoolyard Bagels was originally supposed to open “about three weeks ago” but faced issues with its point-of-sale system and ovens. Now that the bagel shop is open, Lombardo said the goal is to take advantage of the shop’s location on the corner of Marshall Street.

Schoolyard Bagels will also aim to accommodate as many people in the Syracuse area, Lombardo said, whether it be local workers at the neighboring hospitals or students looking for a late-night food option.

“Down where we live, a lot of bagel stores stay open late and you try to get as much business as you can and you try to fill the need you fill a niche or a need for the area,” Lombardo said. “We’re on the corner of Marshall Street. It’s a pretty, pretty high ranked area.”

Schoolyard Bagels will open at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends. The bagel shop will stay open until 3 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

As the sun rises on Marshall Street, customers and workers inside of Schoolyard Bagels light up the shop’s dormant surroundings.

Cassandra Roshu | Photo Editor

For customers who visited Thursday, like Sarah Hasegawa, who works at SU’s Center for Disability Resources, the wait was worth it.

“We’ve been waiting and waiting for it to open. We saw that it was opening today, so we were pretty excited about that,” Hasegawa said. “I’m hopeful and it’ll be a great place … we’re excited to see what else they have to offer once they get up and running.”

Lombardo emphasized patience as Schoolyard Bagels continues its rollout and finalizes putting together a workforce. Lombardo said the goal of Schoolyard Bagels remains to bring the Brooklyn bagel to the Syracuse community.

“Every business owner shoots for the sky and wants to do the best that they can. We want to offer quality, good service,” Lombardo said.

Published on February 8, 2024 at 8:19 pm

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2