FLANNERY MCGOVERN
STAFF WRITER
In Franciscan Square, a couple new shops have been popping up, and one of them is Brooklyn Bagel. The shop is owned and run by the Carpellotti family. Locals to Steubenville, the family has been part of the community for a long time. They also own the other businesses that are opening in the Square. The Best Western hotel is a separate business from the three new restaurants, but they are complementary to each other.
The theme of Brooklyn Bagel is a classic New York style bagel shop, and that is evident in the decor. A picture of the Brooklyn Bridge covers one of the walls, and the rustic furniture gives the place an industrial yet chic vibe. The family has been working together on the project and all its various aspects, from construction to the menu, for the last eight months.
Franco Carpellotti, one of the owners, spoke on how the family came up with the idea of opening a bagel shop: “We have some family friends who own a bagel shop down in Virginia Beach. We have been talking with them about how the whole process works. They have been helping us, and this is the concept we came up with,” he said.
Rita Carpellotti, Franco’s mother, commented on one of the aspects of opening a business that surprised her. “It is just all the little details, stuff you do not normally think about,” she said.
Along with the design, the family has been working hard on the menu and on deciding what kind of items to serve. Michael Carpellotti, Franco’s brother, said: “The menu was probably the best part of all the planning.”
Brooklyn Bagel is getting all of the bagels it will be serving from New York City. They are authentic style bagels, to really keep with the theme of the classic New York Bagel shop. The menu consists of several different styles of bagel and sandwiches, which range in theme from classics to foods the family has tried at other places and wanted to emulate. The menu also includes a sandwich which is a breakfast themed nod to the famous Pittsburgh Primanti Brothers sandwich.
Also from Pittsburgh, all the coffee served at Brooklyn Bagel will come from the La Prima Espresso Company cafe and roaster in the Strip District. The coffee La Prima specializes in is Italian roast espresso. This bold coffee is the main blend the shop will be selling.
The Carpellotti family says their opening will be in the first half of March, though it is difficult to give an exact date at this time. The shop will be employing between 15 to 20 people. The current employees who are busy being trained before opening are a mixture of both students and locals. That is what the Carpellottis want their shop to be: a place for both students and locals to come together to enjoy good coffee and authentic New York bagels.