PopUp Bagels opened a new location at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy on Oct. 23, adding LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch to the chain's growing Texas footprint.

The chain, which brands itself "Not Famous, but Known," is the latest Texas outpost for the Connecticut-based company, the Katy Times reported. PopUp Bagels already operates in Dallas and at Houston's Town and Country Village, which was set to open June 12, according to the Houston Chronicle.

To mark the Katy opening, PopUp Bagels partnered with Houston restaurant House of Pies on a Bavarian Banana Schmear. The special cream cheese is available exclusively at the LaCenterra location for a limited time while supplies last, according to the Katy Times.

No slicing, no toasting

Adam Goldberg founded PopUp Bagels in Westport, Connecticut, selling bagels from his home during the pandemic. The recipe gained a following in part through social media, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce profile of the company published in May 2025.

The concept skips sandwiches, toasting and slicing. Customers order bagels in multiples of three and tear them apart to dip in rotating cream cheese and butter schmears. The menu lists five bagel types: plain, sesame, poppy, salt and everything. Two standard cream cheeses, plain and scallion, are always available alongside weekly rotating flavors, according to the U.S. Chamber profile.

The shops run lean. Locations measure 1,100 to 1,800 square feet and staff about 15 workers, compared with 40 to 50 at a typical quick-service chain, CEO Tory Bartlett told the U.S. Chamber publication.

Texas expansion

Lone Star Bagels is PopUp's exclusive franchise partner across Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, according to Dallas Innovates. The company has said it plans at least 12 Texas locations across the Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The brand has expanded to locations in several states, including New York, California, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Maine. Celebrity investors include actor Paul Rudd and athletes J.J. Watt, T.J. Watt, Michael Phelps and Michael Strahan, according to the U.S. Chamber profile.

The Katy shop is takeout only at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd., and customers must order bagels in sets of three, six or a dozen.