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Junior's

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This article is about the restaurant in New York City. For the restaurant in Atlanta, seeJunior's Grill.For other uses, seeJunior's (disambiguation).
Junior's Restaurant
Company typerestaurant
IndustryFamily restaurant
Founded1950
HeadquartersDowntown Brooklyn,New York City
ProductsCheesecakes,desserts,drinks
Revenue$200 million (2005)
Websitewww.juniorscheesecake.com

Junior'sis arestaurantchain with the original location at 386Flatbush Avenue Extensionat the corner ofDeKalb AvenueinDowntown Brooklyn,New York City.Other locations includeTimes Squarearea and the lobby of theFox Towerin theFoxwoods ResortinLedyard, Connecticut.The restaurant was founded by Harry Rosen in 1950,[1]although his family had run a diner in that location, albeit not under the Junior's name, since 1929. The place is known for iconic New York–stylecheesecake.According to the restaurant, it was named Junior's after Rosen's two sons, Walter and Marvin.[2]

History

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Famous No. 1 Original Cheesecake

According toGO Brooklyn,"At the corner of Flatbush and DeKalb avenues in Downtown Brooklyn, there has been a diner run by the Rosen family since 1929. In 1950, the name was changed to Junior's, and it has been serving its famouscheesecakeand other goodies ever since. "[3]Alan Rosen identifies the roots of the cheesecake inAshkenazi Jewish cuisine.[4]

Rosen worked with master baker Eigel Peterson[1]to create the cheesecake known today as "The World's Most Fabulous Cheesecake", based on a recipe that was in the Rosen family for three generations,[5]a recipe that calls for sponge cake instead of graham cracker crust. In addition to cheesecake, Junior's features deli sandwiches (particularlycorned beefandpastrami), ten ounce steakburgers, cheeseblintzes,and uniqueonion rings.

Fans of the restaurant are not limited to Brooklynites. AKuwaitiprince was known to have taken several Junior's cheesecakes back with him.[5]A shrine to the Brooklyn of old, Junior's has become a must-visit for politicians from borough presidents to PresidentBarack Obama,who bought two cheesecakes and a couple of black-and-white cookies during an October 2013 visit withBill de Blasio,who was soon to be elected mayor.[6]In 2020, theNew York Postrevealed after reviewing the Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings of SenatorChuck Schumer,that the Senate Minority Leader had spent US$8,600 on Junior's cheesecakes in a decade of purchases.[7]Schumer admitted that he had spent a bundle over the years on Junior's cheesecakes calling them his "guilty pleasure".Holding a platter of the famous dessert at a news conference, he quipped:" Guilty as charged. I love Junior's cheesecake so much. It's the best cheesecake in the world. It is made in Brooklyn. I've been going to Junior's since I've been a little boy. And it's my guilty pleasure. "[8]

In 1981, when the restaurant caught on fire, a crowd of people watching the firefighters started chanting "Save the Cheesecake!"[5][9][10]The interior of the restaurant was modernized after the fire.[3]

Building and future plans

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The building, at the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Flatbush Avenue Extension, is 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of red-and-white-striped menus, flashbulb-adorned signs, rust-colored booths and a wooden bar.

In February 2014 the third generation owner Alan Rosen put the building on the market for development as an apartment tower with the hope of striking a deal with a developer to allow Junior's to return as a ground floor tenant. Rosen received offers up to $45M, but that offer wouldn't accommodate Junior's on the ground floor. In September 2014 Rosen took the building off the market after deciding the existing building is Junior's identity.[11]

In April 2015, Junior's announced it would move its baking operations from Queens toBurlington, New Jersey.[12][13]

In 2016, the location insideGrand Central TerminalinMidtown Manhattanwas closed.[14]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abAsimov, Eric(October 11, 1996),"Harry Rosen Is Dead at 92; Junior's Restaurant Founder",The New York Times
  2. ^Barron, James (May 9, 2006),"Provenance of Junior's Cheesecake Is Questioned",The New York Times
  3. ^abcGreenwald, Josh (March 12, 2001),"Historic Bites",The Brooklyn Paper
  4. ^Gergely, Julia (2022-05-27)."Junior's, NYC's iconic Jewish cheesecake emporium, buys back guns to protect the city it loves".Jewish Telegraphic Agency.Retrieved2023-12-09.
  5. ^abcdKennedy, Randy (February 19, 1997),"In Brooklyn, Passing the Torch of Success",The New York Times
  6. ^Colvin, Jill (October 25, 2013)."President Obama and Bill de Blasio Have Cheesecake Date at Junior's".The Observer.Retrieved20 February2019.
  7. ^Levine, John (22 February 2020)."Chuck Schumer has spent $8,600 on Junior's cheesecakes in the past decade".New York Post.Retrieved26 February2020.
  8. ^Cummings, William (24 February 2020)."'It's my guilty pleasure': Sen. Chuck Schumer confirms spending $8,600 on Junior's cheesecake ".USA Today.Retrieved26 February2020.
  9. ^Johnston, Laurie; Oreskes, Michael (August 10, 1982),"New York Day by Day",The New York Times,pp. B–3
  10. ^Quindlen, Anna(May 25, 1983),"About New York; City or Borough, Dodgers or No Dodgers, Brooklyn is Brooklyn",The New York Times,pp. B–5
  11. ^Croghan, Lore (September 9, 2014),"Cheesecake lovers rejoice: Iconic Junior's will stay intact",Brooklyn Daily Eagle
  12. ^Associated Press"Junior's moving its cheesecake baking operation to NJ"NorthNewJersey.com (April 15, 2015)
  13. ^McGeehan, Patrick (April 14, 2015)."New Jersey Cheesecakes? Junior's Is Moving Bakery".The New York Times.
  14. ^"Grand Central changing up restaurant offerings".The Business Journals.January 25, 2016.RetrievedJune 10,2023.
  15. ^"A quote from Still Life with Woodpecker".
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