Images: Blank Build
Adelaide’s bagel boom has officially made its way to Kent Town, with Frankly Bagels opening the doors to its newest store on King William Street.
The local bagel favourite has added a third location to its growing Adelaide footprint, joining its line up of Prospect and Norwood stores.
The Kent Town store sits on the ground floor of a new apartment development and was built by BlankBuild.
For co-owners Christie Wilkinson and Jack Crichton, that was a big part of the appeal.
“It’s a whole new space that people are going to live, work and cohabit in, so we wanted to be part of that new community that’s being built in Kent Town,” Christie previously told Glam Adelaide.
“It’s also very much within our demographic of people and customers who are part of our existing communities.”
The opening marks another big milestone for the business that began with a single Prospect store six years ago.
When Frankly Bagels first launched in 2020, dedicated bagel shops were still something of a rarity in Adelaide. Christie and Jack had been inspired by their travels through England and Europe, where grabbing a bagel was already an everyday part of café culture.
Back then, Christie remembers having to introduce the concept to some customers.
“I think there were maybe one or two places that did it, but it wasn’t really a known thing,” she said.
“I had to explain what a bagel was quite a few times when we first opened.”
Fast forward six years, and the business has built a loyal following across the city, with its Norwood store also doubling as the bakery responsible for producing the bagels served across its locations.
The growth shows a bigger shift in the way Adelaideans are using their local cafés, according to Christie.
Rather than sitting down for a long time, people are increasingly looking for food they can pick up quickly and take with them, whether that’s on the way to work, before a workout or while heading out for a walk.
“I think it’s a combination of people making different choices when they’re going out for brunch or lunch,” she said.
“They might not want to go to a traditional café and sit down for an hour. They might want to quickly grab something on their way through.”
The takeaway approach has been part of Frankly Bagels’ DNA from the beginning, after the pandemic forced the business to rethink its original plans before the Prospect store had even opened.
“That’s why we really navigated towards the takeaway model. It’s been a blessing, really, to have that forced upon us because it refined what you do with your Frankly Bagels.
“You get it, take it away and enjoy it.”
For now, Kent Town is the newest place to get a Frankly bagel, and a sign that the once-niche breakfast staple has well and truly found its place in Adelaide.
Frankly Bagels
When: Open now
Where: 2-4 King William Street, Kent Town
To find out more, click here.
