Pikesville's Brooklyn Water Bagel Is First in Maryland

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Company now open at Hooks Village is the first of 24 stores planned in Maryland, according to the franchise owner.

Bob Ammon, development agent and owner of the Maryland franchise, said in a statement that his local partnership will open the majority of stores during the next five years.

He chose the Pikesville site because of the high-income demographic, because it's close to residential neighborhoods, and has consumer traffic throughout the day, according to a news release.

"We are cognizant of the highly-developed and sophisticated consumer tastes for bagels in this marketplace, and believe this is the ideal spot to capture their imagination and change their bagel-shopping habits,” he said in the release.

The restaurant, with headquarters is in Boca Raton, FL, makes its bagels with water that has the taste and consistency of New York City water, the release states.

There are currently 10 restaurants in four states, offering breakfast and lunch items including “bagelwiches” and Scooper Melts.

The Pikesville restaurant opened last week at 25 Hooks Lane, close to the Baltimore Beltway's Exit 20/Reisterstown Road.

David S. Brown Enterprises, Ltd. manages Hooks Village—a 50,000 square foot mixed-use project with two levels of commercial office space, as well as first-floor retailers and restaurants.

Already in the village are , and .

Howard Brown, chairman of David S. Brown Enterprises Ltd. in Owings Mills, said he believes the bagel restaurant will attract customers to the area. "People have been known to drive great distances for a great bagel," he said.

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Company is in the midst of an aggressive expansion strategy with new restaurants set to open in California, Georgia, Massachusetts and North Carolina, according to the release.