Franchisee Opens Own Chain, Cuts Ties To Bruegger's Bagels

Goodbye, Bruegger's Bagels. Hello, Zi Pani.

Starting tomorrow, the 22 Bruegger's Bagels stores in the Seattle and Portland areas will be converted to a new bakery-cafe chain called Zi Pani.

The switch comes after local Bruegger's franchisee Jay Wagdon decided to cut his ties with the Burlington, Vt., bagel chain and develop a different restaurant concept.

The Zi Pani restaurants will feature freshly baked breads, hot and cold sandwiches, soups and breakfast items, said Wagnon, president of Redmond-based Cafe Concepts West, which owns the Zi Pani sites.

The breads will be baked on the premises and the sandwiches will be made to order or ready to go, he said.

Wagnon said new signs will be up by tomorrow on the former Bruegger's Bagels locations from Everett to Portland. He said interior redesigns of the stores will be completed over the next eight to 12 weeks.

Wagnon said he ended his relationship with Bruegger's about four months ago. "We had a significant difference of opinion on where the concept should go," Wagnon said.

While customers still want fast service, they also want a greater choice of foods, he said, adding that a locally owned chain can respond more quickly to changing tastes.

Bruegger's officials could not be reached yesterday. Wagnon was among a group of franchisees in the Northwest and elsewhere who in October opposed Quality Dining's sale of Bruegger's Bagels back to its founders, Nordahl Brue and Michael Dressell.

The franchisees, representing 48 Bruegger's stores, contended Brue and Dressell did not have the experience to manage a nationwide chain or boost sluggish sales.

Wagnon said 23 Bruegger's Bagels co-owned by his father in the Baltimore area also are being converted to Zi Pani restaurants.

Zi Pani is pronounced zee puh-nee'. It's a brand name with no specific meaning, except to convey an inviting "neighborhood bakery and upscale cafe," said Wagnon.

Lee Moriwaki's phone message number is 206-464-2320. His e-mail address is: lmor-new@seatimes.com