LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A new spot for fresh bagels is raking in the dough in Louisville.
Maya Bagel Express opened on Poplar Level Road in late October. Since then, the restaurant has seen lines out the door -- mostly due to word of mouth.
The family-owned spot is led by Murad Islamov, who moved to Louisville from the Northeast U.S. So, many now are asking, why Louisville?
"There are minimal bagel shops in Louisville," Islamov said. "This was meticulously planned and strategized."
He says he also had ties to the city through his family.
"My sister and my brother-in-law live here. Like I said, family is very important to us," he said.
Family is so important to Islamov that not only do they work at Maya Bagel Express, his family's history is in the name.
"Maya is my grandmother's name," he said. "Also being of Turkish descent, 'maya' means 'yeast."
Islamov and his family are pleased at how successful they've been since opening their doors. On top of fresh made from scratch bagels, they pride themselves on excellent customer service.
"We've been in the game for a while," Islamov said. " My parents have been in the game two decades now and me working along side them. This is our concept, so once the customer walks in they see the bagel display, you see all the fresh bagels we make and right through it you can see the grill."
Maya Bagel Express serves a dozen varieties of bagels, along with cream cheese made in-house. It also serves both breakfast and lunch sandwiches all day.
The store is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For a list of the full menu, please click here.
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