Students venturing into the depths of the Illini Union basement will now be greeted with arguably two of the most trusted cartoon brothers in bagel making. The bagel and coffee franchise Einstein Bros. Bagels opened on March 22 in the space formerly occupied by McAlister’s Deli.

Marc Bralts and Ryan Oas are the owners and managers of the new franchise. Their first Einstein Bros. Bagels establishment, located at 901 W. University Ave., opened in June 2010.

The managers and the Illini Union contract management office began planning for the second restaurant’s creation last spring, following McAlister’s closing in May 2012.

The contract was finalized by December, said Jim Trail, former manager of campus vending at the Illini Union and current operations manager of the Illini Union Bookstore.

“I think the opportunity we saw was there’s really not anything else that offers our menu selection down here,” Bralts said. “I think we complement the existing options really well.”

The two owners, who are both from Minnesota, moved to the Champaign-Urbana area in 2010 to introduce the first franchise. Balts said part of their core mission is to offer quality, health-conscious items, such as thin bagels, low-calorie sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, coffee and orange juice.

Hannah Dole, student manager of the event services office at the Illini Union, said she’s happy about the new Einstein Bros. Bagels being on campus. It’s a great eatery to go to for breakfast food, said the senior in FAA.

Construction to convert McAlister’s to Einstein Bros. Bagels began in mid-February and was approximately a five-week process. Bralts said that building the restaurant did not take long because much of the infrastructure needed for the space  — such as plumbing and electrical support — was previously installed by the Illini Union.

He said Einstein Bros. Bagels will probably have anywhere from 12 to 15 employees at any one time, with more employees working during the school year than in the summer months.

Before opening the store, the employees had a three-day intensive training period, which included learning how to make every type of sandwich and bagel, said Jackson Karaganis, Einstein Bros. Bagels employee.

Alex Simpson, employee at the new location, has been working at Einstein Bros. Bagels for six months. He recently transferred from the store on University Avenue. He said Bralts and Oas have trained him and his fellow employees well in hospitality and quick service.

“I’ve learned a lot from Marc and Ryan,” Simpson said. “They know how to make a dream team, especially in the restaurant business.”

Because of the snowstorm that overwhelmed the Champaign-Urbana area over the weekend, the restaurant has had a higher customer turnout since the school week began Tuesday.

Karaganis said that as people stumble across the new restaurant in the basement, many have reacted with a mixture of surprise and happiness.

“People were coming up and saying, ‘This is the best thing ever.’ It was kind of fun,” he said.

Balts said the owner’s future plans include opening another Einstein Bros. Bagels in Champaign or Urbana.

As for now, they’re excited for how their Illini Union location will do during the spring semester.

“We’re excited for the word-of-mouth to really spread, and we’ll see what happens between now and the end of the semester,” Balts said.

Alison can be reached at [email protected].