The honeymoon may be ending for one of San Diego's buzziest restaurant newcomers. Celebrity-backed PopUp Bagels is facing criticism in La Jolla after an employee of neighboring Mitch's Surf Shop publicly accused the rapidly expanding chain of effectively commandeering their shared parking area for a loud, DJ-driven promotional event, allegedly blocking parking and interfering with business at one of San Diego's oldest surviving surf shops.
The dispute erupted after the employee posted video through the Instagram account @b.h.university showing a crowd gathered beneath several tents outside PopUp Bagels at 637 Pearl Street, in the parking area immediately outside Mitch's Surf Shop at 631 Pearl Street.
"Boycott @popupbagels," the employee wrote on the account, tagging San Diego franchisees Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman.
The employee, who subsequently spoke with SanDiegoVille but asked not to be identified by name, emphasized that he was speaking personally and not on behalf of Mitch's Surf Shop or its owner, Mitch Hagio. The boycott call was made through his Instagram account and should not be construed as an official position of Mitch's.
He described Hagio as "quiet, humble, kind and respectful to everyone" and someone who generally avoids confrontation, while explaining that he personally had reached the point where he could no longer remain silent about what he viewed as disrespectful behavior by the neighboring business.
"I'm just calling out unnecessary bad behavior," the employee told SanDiegoVille.
The employee has now provided SanDiegoVille with a considerably more detailed account of the relationship between the neighboring businesses, alleging the recent event was not an isolated incident but the latest in a series of conflicts involving the property's limited parking dating back to PopUp's construction.
According to the employee, problems began while PopUp's space was being built out last summer. He alleges workers involved in the construction occupied the available parking spaces throughout the workday for several months despite requests that they avoid doing so during Mitch's business hours of 10am to 6pm.
"When they broke ground to start building out the space last summer all of their construction workers took up all of the parking spots all day every weekday for several months," the employee told SanDiegoVille. He said requests to leave the spaces available during business hours went unheeded.
The employee alleges another disagreement followed when PopUp prepared to open around Thanksgiving. According to him, PopUp asked whether it could park a Volkswagen bus in the lot. Mitch's requested that it not remain there because "every parking spot is vital to doing business," he said, but the employee alleges the vehicle was nevertheless parked there and has remained since the restaurant opened. SanDiegoVille has not independently verified the employee's account of those earlier parking disputes or determined who has legal control over the individual spaces.
Importantly, the employee said Mitch's has not generally objected to PopUp holding promotional events. He said PopUp had previously communicated with the surf shop about collaborative events and that Mitch's did not object, provided activities were finished and packed up by approximately 9:45am so the surf shop could open at 10am with parking available for customers.
That history, he said, is what made the latest event particularly frustrating. According to the employee, Mitch's staff arrived to find the parking spaces blocked by EZ-Up tents while a DJ played music he characterized as "unreasonably loud." He said Mitch's had no involvement in organizing the event and alleges the surf shop received no advance notice that it would be taking place.
"We just showed up to all parking spots blocked with EZ-Up tents and a DJ blasting unreasonably loud music," the employee told SanDiegoVille.
He said PopUp was asked to wrap up the event after Mitch's employees encountered the setup but alleges the gathering nevertheless continued until approximately 11:30am - roughly an hour and a half after the surf shop opened.
"We asked them to wrap it up when we saw it," the employee said. "They carried on until 11:30 disrupting our business for the benefit of theirs!"
"Common courtesy and respect go a long way," he added.
The new account provides additional context to the employee's original viral post, in which he alleged, "We couldn't even do business with all of the parking spots blocked and music blasting through the shop!"
It also underscores an important distinction as the controversy spreads online: Mitch's Surf Shop itself has not called for a boycott of PopUp Bagels. The boycott language appeared on the employee's @b.h.university Instagram account and represents his personal position. SanDiegoVille has separately contacted Mitch's seeking the business's official position and confirmation or clarification of the employee's account.
The controversy is particularly striking because of the two businesses involved. Mitch's Surf Shop isn't a recent arrival attempting to capitalize on La Jolla's coastal identity. Founded by Mitch Hagio in 1967, the Pearl Street surf shop has been part of the neighborhood for nearly six decades.
PopUp Bagels arrived last November. The Connecticut-born chain opened its first West Coast location at 637 Pearl Street under local franchisees Thall and Goodman, longtime friends and San Diego State University graduates who previously built Pura Vida Bracelets into a massive lifestyle brand. In 2019, Vera Bradley agreed to acquire 75 percent of Pura Vida in a transaction that valued the company at approximately $130 million.
Thall also identifies himself as co-founder of Block Party, which is described as "a live event series at the intersection of music, culture, and community." His Instagram profile similarly identifies him as co-founder of Blockparty.TV, an account promoting "Live DJ Sets in San Diego."
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| Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman |
They aren't thinking small with bagels, either. Thall and Goodman have been tapped to develop 10 PopUp Bagels locations across San Diego County as part of the company's broader Southern California expansion. Thall currently describes the local operation as focused on creating "a strong community presence" and says its growth strategy leans heavily into "experiential marketing, partnerships, and content-driven activations." That language takes on new significance amid a dispute in which an employee of the business literally next door alleges one of those promotional events disrupted its operations.
Thall also identifies himself as co-founder of Block Party, which is described as "a live event series at the intersection of music, culture, and community." His Instagram profile similarly identifies him as co-founder of Blockparty.TV, an account promoting "Live DJ Sets in San Diego."
And DJs appear to be an intentional part of PopUp's local marketing strategy. When the company's Oceanside location celebrated its grand opening earlier this year, Thall publicly thanked two DJs for "bringing the energy all day long." More recently, he advertised openings for PopUp's San Diego "Events Team," seeking employees interested in helping create "unforgettable brand activations and experiences."
Turning a bagel shop into an "experience," however, becomes considerably more complicated when neighbors believe that experience is interfering with their own businesses. It remains unclear exactly what authorization PopUp had for the La Jolla event, who controls the parking spaces involved or whether PopUp was required to notify neighboring tenants or get permits for such a gathering. Those details will be important in determining whether the employee's criticism is justified.
But the dustup arrives at an interesting moment for PopUp's increasingly aggressive San Diego expansion. As SanDiegoVille reported last week, public records show PopUp is preparing a North Park location at 3727 30th Street. That shop would sit approximately three-tenths of a mile from Nomad Donuts, a longtime independent business known in part for its Montreal-style bagels, and less than a mile from locally owned Marigold Bagels.
SanDiegoVille has also learned PopUp is believed to be pursuing an Encinitas location along Coast Highway, potentially placing another store in close proximity to independently owned New Wave Bagels, although the precise location has not yet been independently confirmed.
Nor would such positioning be unique to San Diego. In Atlanta, PopUp selected a storefront immediately beside locally owned Emerald City Bagels. Asked about opening next to an established independent competitor, PopUp CEO Tory Bartlett told Atlanta Magazine that the company respects others making quality bagels but believes PopUp differentiates itself through its operational discipline, culture, hot-bagel model and rotating schmears.
The David-versus-Goliath comparisons are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. What began as founder Adam Goldberg's pandemic-era backyard bagel operation has transformed into one of America's fastest-growing restaurant brands. Earlier this year, Tiger Global reportedly invested in PopUp at a valuation of approximately $300 million, while growth-equity firm Stripes has been a major investor in the company. PopUp has also attracted an extraordinary roster of celebrity backers, including actor Paul Rudd, Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan, NFL stars J.J. Watt and T.J. Watt, and actor and entrepreneur Patrick Schwarzenegger.
There is, of course, nothing inherently improper about a heavily financed restaurant opening near independent competitors. Nor is there anything inherently wrong with using DJs, crowds, collaborations and promotional events to generate excitement around a business. But PopUp's growth strategy creates an increasingly stark contrast between a company that publicly emphasizes "community" and the reaction now coming from an employee of the business literally next door.
The employee's Reel generated a wave of critical comments, including some from people accusing PopUp of bringing an unwanted party atmosphere to the area and others saying they would rather support longstanding local businesses. The episode illustrates a challenge PopUp may encounter as it attempts to transform itself from a viral East Coast bagel phenomenon into a 10-location San Diego presence: its stores aren't arriving in empty neighborhoods.
They are entering communities filled with businesses that were there first - including, in La Jolla, a surf shop that has occupied Pearl Street since long before social media, influencer marketing, viral restaurant concepts or "experiential activations" existed. Whether PopUp's recent event was properly authorized remains unclear. So does whether Mitch's received any warning before the crowd and music arrived, and whether the event actually prevented customers from accessing the surf shop as its employee alleges.
SanDiegoVille has contacted PopUp Bagels franchisee Griffin Thall and Mitch's Surf Shop seeking comment and additional information and will update this story with any responses received.
Turning a bagel shop into an "experience," however, becomes considerably more complicated when neighbors believe that experience is interfering with their own businesses. It remains unclear exactly what authorization PopUp had for the La Jolla event, who controls the parking spaces involved or whether PopUp was required to notify neighboring tenants or get permits for such a gathering. Those details will be important in determining whether the employee's criticism is justified.
But the dustup arrives at an interesting moment for PopUp's increasingly aggressive San Diego expansion. As SanDiegoVille reported last week, public records show PopUp is preparing a North Park location at 3727 30th Street. That shop would sit approximately three-tenths of a mile from Nomad Donuts, a longtime independent business known in part for its Montreal-style bagels, and less than a mile from locally owned Marigold Bagels.
SanDiegoVille has also learned PopUp is believed to be pursuing an Encinitas location along Coast Highway, potentially placing another store in close proximity to independently owned New Wave Bagels, although the precise location has not yet been independently confirmed.
Nor would such positioning be unique to San Diego. In Atlanta, PopUp selected a storefront immediately beside locally owned Emerald City Bagels. Asked about opening next to an established independent competitor, PopUp CEO Tory Bartlett told Atlanta Magazine that the company respects others making quality bagels but believes PopUp differentiates itself through its operational discipline, culture, hot-bagel model and rotating schmears.
The David-versus-Goliath comparisons are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. What began as founder Adam Goldberg's pandemic-era backyard bagel operation has transformed into one of America's fastest-growing restaurant brands. Earlier this year, Tiger Global reportedly invested in PopUp at a valuation of approximately $300 million, while growth-equity firm Stripes has been a major investor in the company. PopUp has also attracted an extraordinary roster of celebrity backers, including actor Paul Rudd, Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan, NFL stars J.J. Watt and T.J. Watt, and actor and entrepreneur Patrick Schwarzenegger.
There is, of course, nothing inherently improper about a heavily financed restaurant opening near independent competitors. Nor is there anything inherently wrong with using DJs, crowds, collaborations and promotional events to generate excitement around a business. But PopUp's growth strategy creates an increasingly stark contrast between a company that publicly emphasizes "community" and the reaction now coming from an employee of the business literally next door.
The employee's Reel generated a wave of critical comments, including some from people accusing PopUp of bringing an unwanted party atmosphere to the area and others saying they would rather support longstanding local businesses. The episode illustrates a challenge PopUp may encounter as it attempts to transform itself from a viral East Coast bagel phenomenon into a 10-location San Diego presence: its stores aren't arriving in empty neighborhoods.
They are entering communities filled with businesses that were there first - including, in La Jolla, a surf shop that has occupied Pearl Street since long before social media, influencer marketing, viral restaurant concepts or "experiential activations" existed. Whether PopUp's recent event was properly authorized remains unclear. So does whether Mitch's received any warning before the crowd and music arrived, and whether the event actually prevented customers from accessing the surf shop as its employee alleges.
SanDiegoVille has contacted PopUp Bagels franchisee Griffin Thall and Mitch's Surf Shop seeking comment and additional information and will update this story with any responses received.
Originally published on August 9, 2026.
