Bagel Bagel Cafe ready to serve up sandwiches

A toasted baguette basted with fresh wine and cheese dressing then layered with turkey breast, melted provolone, bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Just one of the mouth watering items on the menu at the new Bagel Bagel Cafe in south Fort Myers that will open in a few weeks.

The restaurant, which is on McGregor Boulevard and Cypress Lake Drive, will be serving up more than just bagels.

The shop's 18 employees will be preparing hot and cold sandwiches, wraps, salads and even soups and a coffee bar for those on the run.

"We do a lot of open faced sandwiches, not just bagels. We do melts and we are different from a normal bagel store," said Paul Sangermano, the store's general manager. "We do breakfast, lunch and catering ... we fit the customers' need."

The need for a quick and filling food choice in the area is what owners Bethany Trevett-Solow and her sister Deirdre Trevett, 23, wanted to fill when they decided to open the franchise.

"My sister wanted to bring this here and do it as a family," said Trevett-Solow, 26, about the franchise they got to know when they were students at Florida State University. "In Tallahassee, the Bagel Bagel Cafe is a landmark and when you walked in the door, they knew your name."

That's the same atmosphere the sisters are trying to bring to the 2,100 square foot shop that is surrounded by mostly dinner-only restaurants.

"We are more complementary than competition because they all open later ... this gives customers more," said Heather Skovron, the store's spokesperson.

Customers will be enjoying more since the menu has such a wide array of bagel offerings including bagels with black olives, Bermuda onions, alfalfa sprouts, spinach cream cheese and crispy bacon.

"We want a consistency in what we offer but it's small enough that we can make it our own," said Trevett-Solow about the menu that was created by the franchise when it opened in 1991.

The price ranges from $4.99 for a cheese and basil bagel to $7.99 for a reuben bagel.

"We have a good crew, good food and a great location and people will see that," Sangermano said.

"People can get in and out and get to work," he added.