Bagel Table Stores In Wayland, Natick To Open Before Year's End

WAYLAND, MA — The local Bagel Table chain is pushing ahead with its MetroWest expansion, aiming to open new stores in Natick and Wayland before the end of 2020.

The Bagel Table's expansion runs counter to a trend of restaurant closures that have come amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has estimated that about 3,600 of the state's restaurants — about 20 percent of the total — have closed during the pandemic.

The chain's planned Natick location, in fact, is set to open in October in the space formerly occupied by the Common Café, which closed in June due to the pandemic. Construction on the Wayland store should begin within about two weeks with December targeted for opening, according to owner Ed Eglitis.

The chain operates stores at Boston Landing in Brighton, Chestnut Hill and in downtown Ashland, which opened in 2018.

The Wayland store was announced in January, with plans to take over the former Panera Bread, 21 Andrew Ave., at the Wayland Town Center by late spring. The pandemic delayed those plans.

In early August, signs appeared on the window of the former Common Café, 9 South Main St., advertising a fall opening.

Bagel Table sells New York-style bagels that are "crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside," plus coffee, pastries and to-go items like cream cheese and salad.