3-foot alligator strolls into North Carolina bagel shop

So, this alligator walks into a bagel shop ...

No, this is not the opening line to a cheesy joke. A North Carolina bagel shop owner was startled on Thursday when a 3-foot alligator wandered into his shop. Whether the reptile was seeking a bagel with cream cheese has not been determined.

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Bagel Dock Express was closed at the time on Oct. 29, and owner Jesse Driscoll said he was involved with the installation of a new oven when he was startled by the young reptile at about 3:17 p.m. ET.

“It’s just so far out of the ordinary for a bagel shop,” Driscoll told WWAY. “You can see lots of things. People coming in. Friends coming in to say hi. But, never in a million years did I think I’d see an alligator. It was a shock to see me as I was him.”

Driscoll said he panicked for a moment before calling 911, according to the television station.

Surveillance cameras showed the alligator waddling outside the shop and entering, presumably through the back.

Southport police and Animal Protective Services responded to the shop and safely removed and relocated the alligator, Fox News reported.

Not wanting to miss a marketing opportunity, the shop posted the episode on social media.

“Apparently, word of our fresh bagels has made its way into the swamp!” the shop wrote in a Facebook post. “No injuries, no drama … just one very unusual customer! Fresh bagels. Wild experiences.”

The shop put the sequence to music from the “Pink Panther Theme,” in the post. The alligator works its way to the front of the shop and lurks near a counter. A man walks in and is about to turn the corner toward the counter when he sees the alligator and jumps back.

He then calls to another person, who also sees the small gator.

“Alligator - Isle 1,” the Southport Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.