Brooklyn Bagel & Deli shops in Sarasota reopen as Buddy's Bagels

Two former Brooklyn Bagel & Deli shops in Sarasota have rebranded as Buddy's Bagels.

To celebrate the change in the New York-style eateries, Buddy's is hosting a grand opening at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 at 999 Cattlemen Road. The celebration will feature music, bagel samples and what are described as "enticing return-visit" incentives.

According to a statement, the Brooklyn Bagel & Deli shops were closed and rebranded as Buddy's to pay homage to the patriarch of the family-owned stores in Florida, Burton “Buddy” Koffman.

Serial business owners and brothers David and Jeffrey Koffman purchased Brooklyn Bagels & Deli in April, as well as Lox and Egg Bagel Co., a high-volume bagel shop on Tamiami Trail, according to a July article in the Business Observer, sister publication of YourObserver.com.

The Koffman brothers, according to the article, "have an eclectic portfolio, from bagels and kitchen design and decor in Sarasota to a golf course and 167-acre resort in New Jersey to a foam manufacturing and fabrication business in Tennessee."

Like its predecessor, Buddy's makes bagels the time-honored way by boiling lumps of dough before they are baked. 

In the coming weeks, Buddy's plans to unveil a nighttime offering at its Cattlemen store: Belgian-style French fries known as frites.