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A Tal Bagels on the Upper West Side was shut down by the Health Department last week over one of the ugliest inspection reports the city has handed out in a while. For anyone on the East Side who has grabbed a bagel at a shop with the same name, here is the part worth knowing: it is not the same business, and it is not run by the same people. Ami Halon, who owns the mini-chain, spoke up this week to make sure no one confused his four locations with the shuttered store behind that stomach-turning report.
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Halon posted a clarification on Instagram on Tuesday. The shuttered shop, on Broadway between West 90th and 91st streets, is not run by the company at all. Tal Bagels says it sold that store more than 20 years ago, and that it has operated independently ever since, with no involvement from the company in its operations, staffing, or sanitation practices. In Halon’s words, the location is “not owned, operated, or affiliated with our company in any way.”The shops the chain does run are these four, all independently owned and managed by the company:
- 1228 Lexington Avenue (at 83rd Street)
- 1324 Lexington Avenue (at 88th Street)
- 333 East 86th Street (between First and Second avenues)
- 357 First Avenue (near 21st Street)
All four hold a current Grade A rating from the NYC Department of Health, which the company pointed to as a reflection of how central food safety and cleanliness are to its day-to-day operations. Halon added that the company appreciated the customers who reached out with questions, and that its team is happy to help anyone still unsure.
The UWS closure came after inspectors tallied 157 violation points and flagged conditions the city considered an imminent public health hazard. That shop will have to pass a follow-up Health Department inspection before it can reopen.
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