H&H Bagels Evicted From Remaining Midtown Location
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The smell of bagels still lingers in the air, but the padlock on the door tells a different story at the H&H Bagels location on 46th Street.
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The company has suffered multiple bankruptcies, foreclosures and evictions in recent years and on Thursday, the once dominant bagel empire was locked out of its last store and manufacturing plant.
The property had been sold at a bankruptcy auction and a judge cleared the way for the New York institution to be evicted last year because it owes nearly $600,000 in rent.
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Earlier this week, H&H owner Helmer Toro told the Wall Street Journal that he was seeking investors to help keep his midtown location open despite the eviction and said he was confident H&H would survive bankruptcy.
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But one by one, H&H has been losing its stores and plants around Manhattan and New Jersey.
Last June, the company's original retail operation on Broadway and West 80th Street abruptly closed after facing a threat of imminent eviction.
The company's plant in Secaucus, N.J. also stopped producing bagels last spring after facing bankruptcy and foreclosure.
Many New Yorkers were saddened by the news that H&H's final store had been closed.
"It sucks. It really does," said one man. "There's nothing better than a nice warm bagel in the morning."
"Wow, it's going to be difficult for everybody if the bagel place is closed," said another man.
"I hope they open again," said another.
Since opening in 1972, H&H has been synonymous with New York bagels. The 46th Street location was used to make millions of bagels for restaurants and stores around New York City and the globe.
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