This new Lakewood Ranch bakery is drawing crowds for its fresh bagels
Since opening in late August, Jeff’s Bagel Run has been a popular grab-and-go spot in Lakewood Ranch.
Lines routinely stretch from the counter to the front door in the 1,600-square-foot space at 14624 State Road 70 E..
“On the weekends, we still have our line to the door, sometimes out the door, sometimes you can’t even get in here,” said Megan Matras, who owns the Lakewood Ranch location with her husband Chris.
The bagel shop is a franchise that began in Central Florida. Jeff and Danielle Perera founded the company and opened their first brick-and-mortar store in 2021.
More than 100 locations are open or in development, according to QSR Magazine.
The Lakewood Ranch location was the company’s 20th store, and marks the first for Manatee County.
What makes a good bagel?
Specializing in scratch-made bagels and a variety of flavored cream cheeses and butters, Jeff’s Bagel Run has a strong social media following.
The shop’s motto is, “Always boiled, never toasted.”
“We roll the bagels … every day. They have to proof overnight,” said Chris Matras, referring to the baking process of letting dough rest and rise for ideal flavor and texture. “So what we roll today will be tomorrow’s bagels.”
The shop doesn’t even have a freezer, Megan Matras said — only a walk-in fridge.
After the bagels are formed, seasoned with flavorings and boiled, they are then baked.
“We always try to have a hot bagel in our baskets no matter what time of day and what day of the week,” Megan said. “That’s the goal.”
Fresh-made bagels in 15 flavors
While there is some seating inside, Jeff’s Bagel Run is not a restaurant, Megan Matras said.
“It’s really just a bakery,” she said.
Some crowd pleasers among the Lakewood Ranch shop’s 15 bagel flavors so far include the asiago, asiago everything and jalapeno cheddar bagels. Others include plain, onion, rosemary salt, cinnamon raisin, poppy seed and blueberrry.
Jeff’s Bagel Run also has a bagel of the day that is announced Sunday nights on its app, which can be downloaded in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
A single bagel costs $2.25, a half dozen is $11 and a dozen is $19.
“So whether you’re getting a plain bagel or a bagel that has extra toppings on it, they’re all just one price,” Megan Matras said.
What else is on the menu?
In addition to an assortment of bagels, Jeff’s Bagel Run has various cream cheese and butter flavors available by the tub or in side quantities.
Diners can also order a “flight” of spreads with a choice of three flavors.
Megan Matras said they sell a lot of plain cream cheese, but also offer three flavors of vegan cream cheese and they have different sweet flavors.
“So for kids, they love to have our cake batter, our cookies and cream, cannoli,” she said. “But everyone raves about our chive and onion.”
Starting Nov. 8, Jeff’s Bagel Run begins festive holiday flavors for its spreads. Those have not been announced yet.
Coffee, tea and lemonade highlight the beverages for sale at Jeff’s Bagel Run.
Learning the bagel business
To prepare to open their first Jeff’s Bagel Run, the Matras’ went through a training period in June.
“It was kind of like ‘Undercover Boss,’” Megan Matras said. “Because I just dropped into the store. Here I am. I’m just here to learn everything I possibly could.”
Before opening their first store, Chris Matras had built multiple Jeff’s Bagel Run shops.
He also constructed Einstein Bros. Bagels locations, but Jeff’s Bagel Run was the franchise he mentioned to Megan as a potential one to own. After discussing it for two or three months, Megan said she asked to visit one in North Carolina.
“And then I went to (one in) Celebration (Florida), and I started seeing, ‘You might be onto something,’” Megan said.
The scratch-made bagel shop is open daily for breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
For more information, visit JeffsBagelRun.com.
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
