Einstein Bros. Bagels held a grand opening for its new Chicago location last month. The largest location in the Midwest, the store represents the company’s move towards larger stores with expanded menus.

Einstein Bros., which is part of the New World Restaurant Group based in Golden, Colo., has upscaled its menu items to complement its selection of bagels and appeal to broader consumer tastes. “We are focusing on some interesting flavor combinations with the bagels,” said Chad Thompson, Einstein’s director of menu development. “We understand that people’s tastes are getting more sophisticated, and they want to try new things.”

The Chicago location is one of Einstein’s 2,220- to 2,500-sq.-ft. cafés that seat 40 people in an atmosphere featuring sophisticated fixtures and comfortable, casual tables and waiting areas. The diverse menu ranges from gourmet, to-go coffee and specialty coffee drinks to baked products, salads, made-to-order sandwiches and decadent desserts. One of Einstein’s latest promotions is its line of frozen drinks in caramel, latte, mocha, strawberry, vanilla and Cookies & Cream flavors.

New World operates locations primarily under the Einstein Bros. and Noah’s New York Bagels brands and primarily franchises locations under the Manhattan Bagel brand. The company’s retail system consists of 604 locations, including 419 company-owned locations.

“We are aiming at 50 new stores (next year), it is quite an aggressive growth plan for us,” said Dan Dominguez, chief operating officer of New World Restaurant Group.