Critic's Review
Brooklyn Water Bagels has opened in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The bought the property, tore down the little coffee shop and built a 2 store building with a bagel shop on the ground floor.
This place is right next to the courthouse, which is great if you have jury duty, but not so great if you need to park. There's a lot next to the place, but it's a paid lot that's priced to accommodate court parking; not to pick up a bagel and coffee.
I live about 1/3 mile away, so I headed over on foot, over the bridge and into the construction zone. The courthouse is under construction, which doesn't help the parking situation.
It's a nice looking building. I didn't really know what to expect when I walked in. It's a skinny space but I figured there would be a small dining room.
I was very surprised when I got inside. Just a long space with a crowd guidance system and a counter on the end. The court is kind of a mess as everyone gets out for breaks at about the same time; so this place will either be empty or a mob scene. I specifically waited until after 11am to avoid the 10:45 coffee break.
The reason for the lack of seating is that the right side of the space is taken up by the "show", where they make the bagels. The gimmick here is that they claim to have replicated Brooklyn water; as if anyone can make great bagels if they have the right water. But the real trick is the bagel machine, that allows "franchisees" to make perfect bagels without any lifetime acquired bagel making skills.
So I order a bagel and coffee and they take your name and you wait. No numbers or beepers. It comes pretty fast
I had trouble finding all of the stuff. There were a bunch of people standing around (corporate was In The House), but nobody helping. You'd think they'd be pointing stuff out. Milk is built in to one wall, and they have a sugar machine on the counter. It took me a while to find the milk.
I saw everyone exiting the rear door, which I thought was weird. At first I thought it was just take out only; get your stuff and out to the sidewalk. But when I got outside I saw the outdoor seating.
Facing east, the morning sun will beat down on these seats the entire morning. It was 87 degrees at 11:15; I was thinking this was a really bad idea. I contemplated just taking my stuff home, but I really wanted some coffee.
I then heard some laughter from the back of the building; aha! that's where everyone was. Why didn't the people inside tell people that there was a patio 30 feet behind the door?
The area is covered, but still outside. No indoor space in Fort Lauderdale? Who wants to sit outside in 90 degree heat?
I opened the box to see the bagel; not a lot of cream cheese. A "schmear".
This bagel was better than the ones I'd gotten at the 2 other locations. Maybe they have better machines, or maybe it's because they just opened and corporate is overseeing the operation. But this was a very good bagel. I got it toasted and ate half of it before I left, and I ate the other half later in the day. Very good hot and cold.
The coffee was good also. I've had a lot of bad coffee lately, so that's not nothing.
Conclusion
H20 Bagel LLC spent over $2M on this endeavor, which seems like a lot for a coffee and bagel business that isn't going to do much business on weekends. And how many people eat bagels for lunch? Of course they don't have to pay rent, but they'll need to become a pretty big deal to get a good return on their investment.
With no parking or indoor seating, they won't be seeing me again until November, unless I drive over on a weekend. With 90+ degree heat, 1/3 of a mile (times 2) is too far to walk to get a bagel if I can't sit down and enjoy it in an air conditioned store.
You can only get "brooklyn" water one place, Brooklyn.
Nice pitch, but a building built last year for half that price with a bagel and coffee counter in it is a tough sell. Does the "new" courthouse generate substantially more foot traffic than the old one? Do they have a nice, new cafeteria in the new courthouse?
"The business isn't being sold"? Whats the plan, to pocket the $4M and operate at a loss for 10 years? Rent in the area is $23/ft. which is $96K/year at full occupancy. You need $250K to cover mortgage and taxes alone.
Plus you'll lose $2m when you try to sell it. No thanks.
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