Local Favorite, Designed by Renowned Architect Fred Gehry, Must Vacate by December 31
By Dolores Quintana
New York Bagel Co., the beloved bagel shop in Brentwood, has sadly received word from the owners of Topa Town & Country Shopping Center that they must close and vacate the premises by December 31, 2024.
The current owners of New York Bagel Co., Ted and Patra Cichowski, have owned the restaurant since 2003 when they bought it from the original owner David Rosen. They have 21 years of history in Brentwood and the bagel shop is an institution and gathering place for the residents of the neighborhood, so this is a sad blow to Brentwood. The shop itself was designed by architect Frank Gehry, who was a friend of Rosen’s, so New York Bagel Co. is also a part of Los Angeles’ proud architectural history.
I spoke with Patra Cichowski who told me the story behind the restaurant’s eviction. Patra became emotional while telling me the story because the bagel shop means so much to her and Ted and the friendships that they have forged with members of the community are so meaningful to them.
She said, “It’s our family, our employees, like Manny, and especially the customers, They’ve all been like our family. Our kids have grown up there and we’ve watched kids grow up. We’ve seen some of them who now have kids [of their own]. We never did it to make a ton of money. We just wanted to do something that we enjoyed and to make a living.”
The restaurant’s lease was up for renewal in June and Ted and Patra met with the Vice President of Anderson Real Estate, who owns the Topa Town & Country Shopping Center, and is also apparently a customer of the shop. She said that their broker told them that the VP liked them and wanted to work with them to stay.
At the meeting, they presented him with a business plan, said they would be willing to remodel their business and said, “We are willing to do whatever you want us to do.” He responded that people think of New York Bagel Co. as an institution in Brentwood and that the meeting ended on a positive note. There was never any mention of raising the rent.
However, when they had not heard back from him by August and they were renting the space on a month to month basis, since the lease had not been renewed, they became concerned and reached out to their broker. By the time they heard back from Anderson Real Estate, it was August and they were told that the company was “looking into other prospects.” In mid-October, they finally received an email that they had until December 31 to vacate the property.
Prior to being told that they had to leave, Patra said that the company had told them that an insurance adjuster was going to come by to take a look at the property and she recognized the person from another restaurant company who she knew. The shop also received a visit from a couple of architects around that time as well when Ted and Patra were not there.
From what she has heard, the owners of the complex want to bring in “fresh faces” to change the look of the mall. Patra said that she is not sure what the future of the New York Bagel Co. is and that so many customers have tried to help them find a new space, for which she is grateful.
She mentioned that she trusts that things work out for a reason, but cannot help but be concerned, especially for some of her longtime employees.
