On October 27, beloved bagel and coffee shop Tandem Bagels announced via their social media pages that their Northfield location will close on Sunday, November 13. Tandem Bagels has been in Northfield since 2013 and has two other locations in Mankato opened by owners Anne Frentz, Gretchen Sandstorm and Lisa Friend in 2012.
The announcement on Instagram stated: “Tandem Bagels has been open for almost 10 years and we have loved our time in Northfield. However, with the growth we are experiencing in Mankato, we can no longer continue operating the Northfield store with the attention we feel it deserves. We appreciate the support from our customers over the years and thank our fabulous staff.”
Manager Franny Breiland also addressed the effect of COVID-19 closure on the business: “basically the Mankato stores bounced back a lot better from COVID compared to here. Order input and catering have been up in the Mankato stores while here in Northfield was a little slower to pick up after COVID. The management wanted to consolidate their attention on the Mankato stores because they have been doing so well. There is also talk of adding another store in Mankato.”
Breiland expressed appreciation for all Tandem’s loyal customers but especially college students who have been “a large part of our customer base and a big part of the Tandem family. The store was always more busy when the colleges were in session”
Many Carleton students expressed disappointment at the news of closure. “It’s really sad that Tandem is going away. It was a great place to go with friends on a Sunday morning,” said Kat Algren ’23.
“Compared to any other breakfast place downtown, it was the best option,” said Alisa Makatsaria ’23. “The easy access to sausage, egg and cheese bagels will be missed.”
Other students, however, were pleased with the news. Jack Daley ’23 said: “I was always disappointed with Tandem’s bagels and I feel like a better bagel place will open up in no time. We have two colleges in a relatively trendy downtown area — there will be someone that meets the demand for bagels. And Tandem’s bagels were mid.”
November 12 will be Tandem’s final day open in Northfield. Anne Frentz, one of the owners, said to Northfield News.com, “We will miss the Northfield community. We are sad to see this end.” Tandem Bagels’ Mankato locations plan to stay open for the foreseeable future.