Bureaucrates force the boro’s iconic Loeser’s Deli to close
BY JASON COHEN
A restaurant that has been
an institution in the Bronx for
60 years was suddenly forced
to close right before Thanksgiving.
Loeser’s Deli, located at 214
W. 231st Street in Riverdale,
had its doors shuttered by the
NYC Department of Buildings
on Thursday, November
14, when it said an Ansul fire
system valve was in the wrong
place.
“I’m 50 and in my lifetime
I’ve never seen the deli closed
on Thanksgiving,” said Pam
Loeser Halpern, one of the
owners.
According to Abigail
Kunitz, a spokesman for the
DOB, the department received
a complaint of ‘Gas piping being
installed in deli without
Permits’ at Bunny Deli II, 212
W. 231 Street, which is located
in the same commercial building
as Loeser’s.
Several violations were
found at both businesses.
“Safety is always our top
priority,” Kunitz said. “Our
inspectors found illegal, unpermitted
and potentially dangerous
gas work at this location,
which poses a fire hazard
to the building occupants and
their neighbors.
“We are in contact with
the businesses owners, and
are providing them with guidance
on the permitting and repair
process to legalize the gas
plumbing system and restore
gas service,” he said.
Con Edison shut off the gas
to the Loeser’s and a couple
days later, the NYC Department
of Health came by and
completely shut down the deli
because it lacked hot water.
Loeser Halpern said this
came as a total shock. She recalled
how the deli passed
FDNY inspection every year,
so safety violations never
crossed her mind. But, when a
DOB inspector said everything
was “okay” and then returned
seven hours later with Con
Edison, she was confused.
“We were baffled,” she said.
She noted that they asked him
why it took seven hours to determine
this and he gave no
answer.
They contacted plumbers
and discovered it could cost
roughly $100,000 to fix everything.
The family also learned
there was a DOB ‘stop work order’
on the building that dates
back to 1996.
“We’re out of luck and we’ve
been closed now for about two
weeks,” she exclaimed.
West 231st, which was renamed Loeser’s
Deli Place in October.
Photo Courtesy Loeser’s Deli
Her father, Fredy Loeser,
used his Bar Mitzvah money
to open the deli when he was
17 with his father, Ernest who
had escaped Nazi Germany.
The deli quickly grew to be
the place to go for delicious kosher
food and for many, felt like
home. Over the years, mayors
Michael Bloomberg and Ed Koch
frequented the restaurant.
The family spans three generations
and all of them at some
point have worked in the deli.
In October, during a grand
celebration, West 231st Street
and Godwin Terrace, was renamed
Loeser’s Deli Place.
“Growing up my father was
like a super hero,” she said.
“Loeser’s was a like a sacred
place.”
Many people have flooded
social media expressing sadness
about the situation and
some have even offered to start
a GoFundMe to help raise
money.
However, Loeser Halpern
explained her dad is too humble
to accept financial help.
She said unless there’s a
miracle, she’s not sure what
the future holds.
BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY December 8, 2019 4
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MEMBER:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg with Loeser’s Deli Owner Fredy Loeser. Photo Courtesy Loeser’s Deli
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