Bagels & Beans opens in Beek, with eazie to follow in Utrecht

Two new hospitality outlets highlight different routes into business ownership in the Dutch franchise sector. Sisters Wingyee and Gigi opened their own Bagels & Beans in the Makado shopping centre in Beek on 25 October 2026. In Utrecht’s Leidsche Rijn district, an eazie run by Barto Hulleman, former General Manager of Taco Bell Netherlands, is scheduled to open on 11 November.

Bagels & Beans arrives at Makado

The new Bagels & Beans in Beek has been open since Sunday 25 October. Wingyee and Gigi, together with their team, welcome shoppers at Makado and residents from the surrounding area. Coffee, filled bagels and personal service are at the heart of their offer.

According to the opening announcement published by Lunchroom, the sisters want to create a familiar meeting place: somewhere people can stop while shopping, but also visit in its own right. Their vision emphasises the café as a place to spend time, as well as somewhere to eat and drink.

Wingyee brings years of experience running a Bagels & Beans business. For her, Beek marks a new chapter with a familiar brand. The sisters are taking this step together, citing their combined experience, enthusiasm for the concept and focus on hospitality as their foundations.

The opening is therefore more than an addition to the chain’s locations. It is also a practical example of an entrepreneur bringing existing experience of a franchise concept to a new local business. How that experience translates to Beek will become apparent primarily through the day-to-day welcome guests receive.

From Taco Bell Netherlands to an eazie of his own

In Utrecht, Barto Hulleman is taking a different route into business ownership. The former General Manager of Taco Bell Netherlands is opening his own eazie on Brusselplein in Leidsche Rijn. The announced opening date is 11 November 2026, according to Dutch franchise publication De Nationale Franchise Gids.

Hulleman is moving from a senior management role at one hospitality brand to running his own outlet under another. While Wingyee already has experience as a business owner within Bagels & Beans, he is bringing his background at Taco Bell Netherlands to eazie.

That distinction matters for anyone considering becoming a franchisee. First-hand experience of a brand and experience in a management role are different starting points. They will not necessarily call for the same preparation. For a prospective business owner, the question is therefore not simply how much experience they have, but which parts of it will be useful in their own business.

The Utrecht opening is still ahead, while the Beek outlet has already opened its doors. These are two different stages in the start-up process, each shaped by a different entrepreneurial background.

Two routes, the same local challenge

These announcements show that there is no single career path into, or through, the franchise sector. In Beek, the focus is on a partnership between two sisters, supported by Wingyee’s existing knowledge of the concept. In Utrecht, it is on a former senior manager taking the step into running his own hospitality business.

The locations also give each story a distinct local context: the Makado shopping centre and Brusselplein in Leidsche Rijn. For prospective franchisees, these are prompts to look beyond the brand name. Which customers do you want to welcome? Why is this particular location right for the concept? And what role do you want to play in the outlet each day?

The sisters’ ambition in Beek offers a clear starting point: they want to give both shoppers and local residents somewhere to sit and spend time. That is a business objective, not a claim about the performance of the newly opened café.

Practical advice: assess your experience against day-to-day demands

For anyone considering a similar move, both openings are above all a prompt to make their own preparations more concrete. Discuss with the franchisor what knowledge you already bring, what support you will need and how you intend to reach local customers. If you are going into business together, the division of responsibilities also deserves attention.

Practical takeaway: do not assess a franchise opportunity on the concept alone. Consider whether your experience, your working partnership and your chosen location are suited to the day-to-day work of running the outlet.