Call Your Mother deli and bagel chain to take over Metropolitan Bakery space in Rittenhouse Square
The space formerly occupied by Philadelphia's Metropolitan Bakery now has a new owner: Call Your Mother, a Washington D.C.-based bagel and deli chain.
Metropolitan Bakery closed its 19th Street location near Rittenhouse Square in March after over 32 years in business. But this week, Call Your Mother founder and co-owner Andrew Dana was handed the keys. The business shared a video of the moment on Instagram.
"The first thing I felt when I heard this was closing was heartache, like I'm sure a lot of people did," Dana said in the video. "We understand we'll never be Metropolitan Bakery, but we promise we'll do our best to serve great food with a smile and be a staple in the community."
Metropolitan's Wendy Born said she felt Dana and his wife, chef Daniela Moreira, had similar values.
"This place is in the best hands imaginable," Born said in the video.
Call Your Mother says they are serious about bagels — theirs are "somewhere between a classic NY-style bagel and the sweeter, Montreal-style bagels from our friends up North."
Call Your Mother is also opening a Fishtown location, which should be open "soon-ish," according to their website.
Merzbacher's Bakery in Germantown has since taken over Metropolitan's wholesale operation, which supplies restaurants and stores around the Philadelphia region.