Junior's Restaurant Owner Says "No We Are Not Closing!"
Don't stock up on cheesecake just yet. Owner Alan Rosen has clarified with The Daily Meal that Junior's Restaurant, the Brooklyn mainstay that is world-renowned for their decadent cheesecakes, will not be closing despite media rumors that have suggested otherwise. The building which has housed the restaurant for 63 years was listed for sale this Tuesday, but the restaurant is not part of any possible deal if one is made. Even if the building is sold, Rosen said that Junior's will be integral to the plan, and that he "if a developer wants to get rid of Junior's, we won't make the deal."
"We have, and we always will have a commitment to Brooklyn," said Rosen. "I'm getting choked up thinking about it. There are people in my building that have known me since I was five years old. That restaurant is another child to me."
Rosen told us that he is not doing this because business is suffering. Over the years, he has been approached to make a deal by several developers. If the building is sold, he said that the process could take up to two years to even finalize and draw up any necessary architectural plans. If the storefront is temporarily closed for construction, he will open a pop-up bakery nearby to accommodate customers.
"The cheesecake panic needs to stop," said Rosen. "When we had our huge fire that devastated the store in 1992, people said Junior's would never be the same again. But it's exactly the same, and it will be here long after I'm gone."