Jeff Perera's Jeff's Bagel Run Signs Three-Store Myrtle Beach Franchise Deal

Jeff's Bagel Run has signed a three-store franchise agreement for Myrtle Beach, giving the founder-led bagel brand a new South Carolina growth market and a useful test of how far its Southeast momentum can stretch beyond its Florida base.

The company announced on 31 July that Jennifer Yanakiev and Brian Edelen will develop the Myrtle Beach market. The first planned store is listed for 4112 River Oaks Drive, with additional locations expected around the broader coastal area. The operators bring more than three decades of experience with Hungry Howie's Pizza, which is relevant because the deal is not a first-time foodservice experiment. It puts a breakfast and coffee concept into the hands of franchisees who already understand unit operations, local hiring, guest routines and the discipline required to open more than one store in sequence.

For Franchise Market News, the founder story sits in how Jeff and Danielle Perera's 2019 shop has moved from a local bagel idea into a multi-state franchise platform. The brand says it now has 39 open shops across Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, with more than 120 additional locations in development. That pipeline gives the Myrtle Beach agreement more weight than a simple opening notice. It shows a young food franchise trying to convert early consumer loyalty into a broader owner network before the breakfast category becomes even more crowded.

The Myrtle Beach geography also matters. Coastal Carolina brings a mix of year-round residents, tourism traffic, seasonal labor constraints and high expectations for quick morning trade. A bagel concept can fit that demand if it keeps product quality and speed consistent. But the same market can punish weak execution because visitors may try a brand once and locals will not tolerate inconsistent hours or slow service. Jeff's Bagel Run is betting that its promise of scratch-made hot bagels, freshly whipped spreads and coffee drinks can become a repeatable local habit rather than a vacation novelty.

The announcement also points to a supply-chain story. Jeff's Bagel Run acquired Otus Coffee in 2024, a move the company described as a way to strengthen menu quality and supply consistency. For a breakfast franchise, coffee is not an accessory. It affects ticket size, daily frequency and the customer's reason to choose the store over a bakery, cafe or national quick-service chain. Bringing a coffee supplier inside the system can give the franchisor more control, but it also raises the standard franchisees will expect from corporate support.

The three-store agreement therefore gives the brand three tests at once. First, it tests whether a founder-led concept can keep its personality as it enters a tourism-heavy market. Second, it tests whether experienced pizza franchisees can transfer their operating discipline to morning retail. Third, it tests whether Jeff's Bagel Run can support a pipeline that is already much larger than its current store base. If Myrtle Beach opens cleanly and adds repeat local traffic, the deal will strengthen the argument that the brand's growth story is not only about bagels, but about finding operators who can turn a founder's product discipline into a durable neighborhood business.

"It shows a young food franchise trying to convert early consumer loyalty into a broader owner network."