Owner Anthony Barona was scheduled to be joined by White Plains Mayor Tom Roach and other business owners on Wednesday, June 2 to celebrate the grand opening of Bagel & Deli Express on Westchester Avenue.
The opening was temporarily delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Barona said that it’s important to open up his eatery’s doors to show that Westchester, New York, and the rest of the country are recovering from the virus’ financial impact on businesses.
“If we don’t put a positive outlook encouraging viewers, customers, and investors, then we might be probably looking for jobs somewhere else or doing something else,” Barona said. “White Plains to us is a mini-New York City, on the up and rising with a lot of new residents moving and new buildings being built.”
Bagel & Deli Express offers a full breakfast and lunch menu, with free delivery options available online. There is a coffee bar with nitro brew coffee, fresh smoothies, a create-your-own salad option, bubble tea, and Acai bowls, among other options.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said that the grand opening of Bagel & Deli Express shows that the region is starting to emerge from the pandemic.
"To see a new business open up as the County rebounds from the pandemic not only gives customers more options, it also gives local business owners hope to keep striving despite the obstacles thrown at us in 2020," he said in a statement. "We are proud Mr. Barona chose Westchester County as the site of his new business.”
Barona said that he and two business partners are teaming to also create new bagel shops in Mamaroneck and Harrison. At least 30 jobs are expected to be created in the process.
“We could have chosen other areas, but we all decided to do it in Westchester County,” Barona stated, noting that they plan to open new Bagels & Deli Express locations in the future.
"The design of the store was all predicated on the quality of what I want to show and distribute to customers here in Westchester, everything I did I wanted to do for my family, and I wanted to give customers a place to savor and enjoy the food."
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