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The Tal Bagels that the Health Department shut down last week has no connection to the Tal Bagels chain that operates four locations on the East Side. That is the word from the company’s owner, Ami Halon, who spoke up this week to separate his business from the closure and the brutal health report behind it.
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Halon laid out the distinction in a post on Instagram on Tuesday. The shuttered shop, between West 90th and 91st streets, is not run by the company at all. Tal Bagels says it sold the store more than 20 years ago, and that the shop 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 company also spelled out exactly which shops it does stand behind. Tal Bagels currently operates four locations, 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)
Notably, not one of them is on the Upper West Side. Every one of the four, the company says and we confirmed, holds a current Grade A rating from the NYC Department of Health, which it pointed to as a reflection of how central food safety and cleanliness are to its day-to-day operations.
The mix-up is understandable given the shared name, and Tal Bagels said it appreciated the customers who reached out with questions and that its team is happy to help anyone still unsure. As for the Broadway shop that kicked all of this off, the closure we covered came after inspectors tallied 157 violation points and flagged conditions the city considered an imminent public health hazard. That location will have to pass a follow-up Health Department inspection before it can reopen.
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