Any reason WHY they closed. Are the owners moving the shop, moving out of town, retiring, bored of bagels? It also seemed like a big place for a bagel shop.
Any reason WHY they closed. Are the owners moving the shop, moving out of town, retiring, bored of bagels? It also seemed like a big place for a bagel shop.
I don't know anything about this specific location, but I know more than I'd like about the bagel business. To make a real bagel is difficult, and costly. The dough goes through mulitple processes, including boiling, before going in the oven. It's a dying business because the real thing costs so much more than the frozen alternative. Most coffee shop bagels are pulled out of the freezer, supplied by companies like Rich Products. People become accustomed to cheap, frozen bagels. When they have the real thing, their apt to think somethings wrong with it. If you find a place with scratch bagels, enjoy them while you can.
It will not be long before another sandwich shop opens up. One good idea - maybe Joe's Deli should open up on Elmwood to compliment their Hertle/Colvin location.
Too bad about the Bagel shop. It was a great regular kind of place where people of all walks of life and tastes could hang out and eat simple but decent stuff.
I'd love to see a NY-style Deli come in as a replacement--just regular but tasty sandwiches, no gimmicks. Please no "upscale" overpriced yuppie fusion restaurant crap, when I want pricey sandwiches I'll go to Globe across the street. Elmwood needs to retain places that everyone can enjoy--the bagel/sandwich shop fulfilled that role well.
http://www.brueggers.com/index.html
Brueggers would be a good fit for that location. Excellent bagels. They do great in Rochester.
Although it would be better to see a local shop open up there... I do love Bruegger's Bagels. I've lived in Schenectady, Boston, and Rochester and there was always a Bruegger's in close proximity to my places. I always wondered why there wasn't one around here. They are probably have the highest quality bagels of any chain place.
Using industry standards, you'd need about 400 customers per day to have a break even/slightly profitable business at this location. While the 'posters' here get excited about the recent award (for EV), people should keep in mind that making any small business work, Elmwood or elsewhere, is a bit of magic. With higher rents (which you would assume given 'top ten status'), some store fronts will not support the business that's there now... even if it appears to be profitable. Management guru Peter Drucker said, 'it's more important to do the right thing, than to do things right." You might make a great bagle, but with the wrong deal, you're sunk.
I couldn't agree more with the Brueggers fans - I'm one, as well. Quality product, decent service, and urban commitment (they're one of the faithful holdouts remaining in our dying downtown mall, God bless them). And as UnionAMG points out, when they're in a market they usually have multiple locations, so with a success on Elmwood more would likely follow. It would definitely be worthwhile for, say, EVA to contact them and gauge their interest - and if it happens, well, how about a special for BRO readers--?
Actually, I'm in walking distance from a Bruegger's at the moment, and all this has made me so hungry they may get a visit from me shortly...
Marcos Italian deli needs to be on the strip..... or a smoothie/juice bar....nah that wouldn't work in Buffalo either
I can't say I'm surprised after my last few experiences there. Decent food and a great location, but a lot of other things were sadly lacking for which I blame the management. All I'm saying is this place can work given the right management.
This place really hit the skids after Manhattan Bagel... it was always dirty, staff was fair at best, and it just felt like u were in an 80's Dickies Donuts that served bagels... It needs A remodel badly. Is the landlord offering a TI allowance? (Tenant Improvement)
I don't mean to sound cynical but what good is this planning award if we can't even keep local business on the strip? Maybe EVA should be more concerned with keeping the small business that it has instead of receiving an award that doesn't mean a thing to the majority of people in Buffalo. I guarantee that if you asked why companies or business moved into eastern market or elmwood or pike's place, they wouldn't say its because APA named them one of the best 10 neighborhoods. Its because they make money, not because of a pointless award. Let's see the EVA produce before we get so giddy.
Thank god this place is closing so something better can go in it's place. Everything in here was bad- the food, staff and obviously the management. On top of all that the place was always dirty. No big surprise it's closing.
This was the world's worst bagel shop in basically the best location in the city. I'm sure someone else will snap up the spot and put something better there. I bet the businesses that are looking to relocate to Elmwood are already lining up.
I can guarantee that the New World Record space and the Bagle space will have a tenant lined up in less than 1 months time. This is the area of Elmwood that is most prosperous.
Sally what say you about all the new businesses opening on Elwmood?
Whats Happening to ELMWOOD?
1)An Elmwood Avenue restaurant was robbed Tuesday night by a man claiming he had a gun and demanding money from the cash register, police said.
2)A Buffalo woman who fought back against a robber trying to steal her purse Wednesday night ended up being dragged a few feet by the robber, police reported.
The woman was not injured and the robber fled empty-handed.
Northwest District Police said the incident happened in the 800 block of Elmwood Avenue at about 9:15 p.m. when she was confronted by two men.
One of the men came up behind her and grabbed her purse, police said, but when the woman fought back, she was dragged a few feet before he let go.
The two men rode away on BMX bikes, heading north on Elmwood and west on Lafayette Avenue, witnesses reported.
Bagel Jays' bagels are head & shoulders above anything Brueggers could ever dream of making.
You know, a real bagel shop is hard to come by anywhere around here. Manhattan or Bagel Jay don't compare to the kind you see in other cities. Maybe now's the opportunity to open up a real bagel store. They can sell other stuff too of course. This shop that was there was really horrid, I remember one time I went there there was a clueless juvenile delinquent behind the counter and the food sucked. The fact it even lasted as long as it did suggests a properly run store could thrive there. I mean where else gets better foot traffic? You see all those other sit down places are pretty full there, I bet someone could come up with a good restaurant or bagel store or coffee shop to put there.
There are three important factors (among many) in making a business succeed. 1- Clean 2- Friendly, knowledgable and well trained staff 3- Superior product I'm sure for every negative comment there are just as many positive ones. Unfortunatly - a 50/50 ratio does not do much in supporting the bottom line. Sad to see it go but from what it seems another business may be better off. Businesses fail for many reasons... but in this case it seems like the most obvious ones are to blame.
I agree with the above posters who said how bad this place was! I would often go there and be treated like I was causing THEM a hardship just by walking through the door. They were constantly out of everything and I think they messed up my order every time I went in. Sorry to see an Elmwood business close, but hopefully something better will come along!
first new world, now this. my saturday morning is now shot! i dont think they closed because it wasnt successful, they were always busy. its gotta be something else.....bagel jays better move in there and quick.
$3300?! Are they nuts? I know it's 2100 sf, but when you have a rent like that, I'm sorry, but you really limit what kind of business can occupy that space. You'll have to sell coffee, food, or alcohol. I highly doubt most retail stores can pay that rent.
The rent does seem rather steep. I heard that the former Solid Grounds space is $2500/month. We're ready to lease our smaller space at 291 Bryant for $600/month, so I guess prices run the gamut.
Personally I like Lexington Co-op's bagels.
2100 per month is all that space should get... the owners on crack for 3300 mo
I wonder if the Lexington COOP's move into selling bagels was a factor. I worry now that they have moved into sushi. Is this neighborly?
Lexington Co-op bagels are made for them by Bagel Jay's on Delaware and Great Arrow!!!
I stopped going to this bagel/sub shop about a year ago because it was always dirty. Elmwood needs a casual sandwich shop though. There's enough high-end stuff. A sandwich shop that stayed open after 6pm would be nice too.
Dig that "parting letter" on the door! It's almost as good as the ones Starbucks puts up!
I would love to see a head shop or a tatto parlor. The village needs a little color.
BROKEEPSBLOCKINGME ask "What's happening to Elmwood?"
The answer is simple really - the demographic change that swept through the City over the past half century has finally caught up with Elmwood. The City continues to sink deeper and deeper into the morass. The question is not what's happening to Elmwood the wonder is that it was able to stay afloat as long as it did. What's happening is that it is at the start of the same decline that has hit the other commercial areas of the City. And as was the case for Broadway and Black Rock the denial of the downward spiral will only hasten it's acceleration.
At least channel 2 is starting to pick up on the decline.
Really, Sally? A bagel shop shutters its doors and thus the whole neighborhood has cratered into decline? Relax, get yourself on a good anti-depressant and let's nip this schmear campaign in the bud.
well no one has commented on this story since october but i just saw it and wanted to let everyone know the real story. i was an employee of this business for 3 yrs. i quit in may of 07 because i couldnt deal with the owner's BS anymore. the owner of the business (not the management or the owner of the property) is at fault for everything that happened in that place. the employees rarely received our paychecks on time, we would have to wait until monday or tuesday of the next week, and most of the time the checks bounced in our accounts anyway. as a veteran employee i was around during the ordering of supplies and most of the time we werent allowed to order certain things or he just didnt care that we were out of supplies. he was probably the worst business owner i have ever encountered. but i want you all to know that the full-time employees LOVED the customers. many of you i see on the elmwood strip to this day and i can still tell you what you ordered everyday before work or school. after i left, i cant say much because obviously i wasnt there. but jackie and i were there faithfully every morning from 530am to around 2 monday thru friday and enjoyed all of you...
well no one has commented on this story since october but i just saw it and wanted to let everyone know the real story. i was an employee of this business for 3 yrs. i quit in may of 07 because i couldnt deal with the owner's BS anymore. the owner of the business (not the management or the owner of the property) is at fault for everything that happened in that place. the employees rarely received our paychecks on time, we would have to wait until monday or tuesday of the next week, and most of the time the checks bounced in our accounts anyway. as a veteran employee i was around during the ordering of supplies and most of the time we werent allowed to order certain things or he just didnt care that we were out of supplies. he was probably the worst business owner i have ever encountered. but i want you all to know that the full-time employees LOVED the customers. many of you i see on the elmwood strip to this day and i can still tell you what you ordered everyday before work or school. after i left, i cant say much because obviously i wasnt there. but jackie and i were there faithfully every morning from 530am to around 2 monday thru friday and enjoyed all of you...
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