The world famous H & H Bagels has closed:
Bagel Crisis: H & H Bagels Closing TOMORROW: Gothamist
Bagel Crisis: H & H Bagels Closing TOMORROW
Flickr bitchcakesny
Breaking bagel news! The
Wall Street Journal is
reporting that H & H Bagels, beloved Upper West Side carboloading institution, is closing—for good—
tomorrow!
There's no explanation for the abrupt move, just a sign reading "Welcome to Visit Our Store at 639 West 46th Street,” the location of H & H's wholesale baking plant and storefront, which employees said would remain up and running. Another employee outside told the
Journal that the closure was due to rent issues, but the store hasn't confirmed. Earlier this year, the store
filed for bankruptcy, which came after owner Helmer Toro
pleaded guilty to second degree grand larceny for pocketing $330,000 in payroll taxes.
Still, the sudden shutter comes as a shock, with even Sam Sifton
tweeting about the "breaking carb news." The institution has been featured in
Seinfeld, Entourage, and Woody Allen's
Manhattan Murder Mystery, among other places. Their Midtown plant produces about 80,000 bagels a day, which are shipped across the world.
A store manager we spoke to at grocer Citarella, which carries H & H bagels, didn't seem ruffled by the news, saying: "We're not too worried about it—it's a shame that that store has been there for so long, but we get our deliveries from Midtown, so I don't think one location closing is going to hurt us. They'll still be very popular with customers."
Great bagels, too. Just why the heck didn't this guy pay his taxes??
No wrestling tonight - went to a little league baseball game (our team lost), watched an episode of Julia Child, and am now just browsing.