"Joey’s Bagels was well established in Hendersonville and Fletcher, but when Gabe Willis bought the business from the founding Joey in early 2024, he set his sights on Asheville and in December, completed the trifecta with the opening of Joey’s Bagels on Merrimon. Controversy ensued — not because he boldly staked his claim barely a block from Bruegger’s, but because bagels always provoke an argument. Joey’s makes its case with freshly made dough every morning, boiling the bagels before baking, an inclusive selection of flavors from seeded to sweet, house-blended cream cheese spreads, and the uber-popular Regular Joe — two scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, and cheese on a bagel." - Kay West