North Texas Daily

The university’s facilities department aims to open Einstein Bros. Bagels in fall 2022 following issues with construction contracts and design.

Originally scheduled to open in the spring of 2020, the project has faced multiple delays over the past two years. After being pushed to the summer of 2020, the construction was delayed indefinitely in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Director of Planning Design and Construction Helen Bailey said the Board of Regents approved a 130,000 square foot addition to the College of Visual Arts & Design building along with a renovation of the existing building for a cost of $70 million.

“Due to the pandemic, the project was halted before construction could begin and has been on hold since that time,” Bailey said. “We are currently working on the project now with the goal to start construction in late spring and complete [it] later this year. It will feature full sandwich service, walk-up kiosks and some inside seating with easy access to the lovely Art building courtyard.”

The original project focused on renovating the space for a café to be installed as an addition to the CVAD building. At the time, the decision was made to build the exterior shell of the café only, Bailey said.

Once construction and renovation were complete, planning began on the café and it was decided that an Einstein Bros. Bagels would be well suited for the available space, Bailey said. The restaurant was chosen after an internal poll Dining Services conducted in CVAD.

The location is set to open in the CVAD building located at the northeast edge of the campus on the intersection of South Welch and Mulberry Streets. The new location will be on the first floor of the building and run by Dining Services, meaning students may use Flex funds to purchase items.

In the meantime, students continue to wait for the retail shop to open.

Risk management and insurance senior Kobe Caballero said he liked the wide variety of food Einstein Bros. Bagels offers on its menu.

“They don’t just serve regular bagels – they serve breakfast items like breakfast burritos, pastries and omelets,” Caballero said. “And the bagels they do serve are more complex than the ordinary bagel. One thing I do hope to see at the new location is possibly a mean green bagel if there could ever be such a thing made since they are going to be on campus.”

Creative writing sophomore Adam Collier said he likes obtaining his bagels hot and toasted whenever he visits the restaurant.

“There is nothing like getting your bagels right out of the oven,” Collier said. “I look forward to seeing more pastries and specialty bagels added to the menu at some point. Maybe they could add more beverages to their selection since I end up buying a few of the same drinks sometimes.”

Years prior, the Union hosted an Einstein Bros. Bagels of its own before closing. As of now, the Einstein Bros. Bagels locations closest to the University of North Texas campus and Denton can be found in Flower Mound and Coppell.

Featured Image: The doors of Einstein Bros. Bagels on Feb. 10, 2022. Photo by Lillian Vest