On a recent trip into Leeds, in between meetings, I was in need of something quick, healthy and most of all different, so I stopped by Bagel Nash in The Light. The Light is a leisure and fashion destination in Leeds city centre, and its foodservice combines national brands such as Browns, Nandos and Starbucks with local brands such as Brio, Maxi's and Bagel Nash. It is typical of modern developer thinking to incorporate a local flavour into the foodservice mix as a way of avoiding fascia fatigue.
Bagel Nash describes itself as a 'fast-casual deli' experience. This unit, located in the courtyard of The Light, has both internal and dedicated mall seating outside the unit, is contemporary in style with black and orange branding and had a busy feel about it. This was certainly the case on my visit, with office workers and shoppers using the unit in equal measure.
In addition to the core menu of bagels cooked fresh every morning, with countless delicious fillings to choose from, Bagel Nash offers an extensive range of refreshments, fresh juices and smoothies, salads and freshly baked pastries, thereby activating the unit across the day for the busy office 'grab and go' market.
I chose a sesame bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese, and the quality was fantastic. The bagel was fresh and filled to order, and the filling was tasty and plentiful, although not so much that it was falling out of the sides: just right. This cost me £3.80 to 'eat in', and to 'take out' it would have been a very reasonable £3.20.
Bagel Nash currently has six units in Leeds and York, one in London and two new Manchester units in the pipeline. This is a clear indication that the brand is looking to expand beyond its local boundaries, as well as moving into a combination of shopping centre and transport terminal locations. Based on my experience, Bagel Nash will provide the more established daytime brands with some stiff competition.
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