Get To Know The Face Of Rockaway’s Beloved Bagel Joint

An inside look at how the pandemic has affected a small business owner in New York City’s outer boroughs.

It seems as soon as one store shutters its doors in New York City, an artisanal coffee shop, an organic dog accessories retailer, or a Gwyneth Paltrow-approved ethically sourced crystal store are ready to pop up in its place. However, some businesses have managed to stand the test of time and maintain their local ownership in the revolving door of New York City retail.

A stone’s throw from the sandy dunes of Rockaway Beach, what began 40 years ago as a local Italian deli is now known as Rockaway Bagels. The humble but impeccably managed store is helmed by 40 year old Kfir Nuriel, who bought the shop in 2018. Originally from Israel, Nuriel moved to New York in 2001 eight months before tragedy struck the city on 9/11. Nuriel makes the seaside commute from Great Neck, Long Island to serve the store’s beloved bagel sandwiches to Rockaway locals and tourists alike.

In a Q&A interview with Nuriel, the local business owner talks about COVID-19 in the Rockaways, the cream cheese shortage crisis, and of course, his favorite bagel order.

Lauren Gruber: I read in a Bloomberg article that roughly 37% of the people who left Manhattan last year moved to a lot of the outer boroughs. Have you noticed a lot of changes since the pandemic?

Kfir Nuriel: Of course. First of all there were a lot of deaths over here because of the corona, a lot of my customers died. And a lot of people moved to Miami from here. Also because of — I cannot say that because it’s a political opinion — whatever happened with the pandemic and everything but that’s it, it’s pretty cool over here.

LG: I wanted to know what you’ve noticed about the neighborhood in the Rockaways, especially since the pandemic. Have there been a lot of closings?

KN: A lot of closings, but also the crime went up much more than before the pandemic.

LG: You started owning Rockaway Bagels in 2018. How has the pandemic changed business for you?

KN: Well, the first two years before the pandemic was amazing, and then the year of the pandemic, the beginning was eh, but then it was pretty good. But now there is a change. There are no workers even now. It’s very hard to find workers. There is a shortage of a lot of stuff, you know, cream cheese, plastics, vegetables. You’re dealing with a lot of stuff but you keep running the business.

LG: How did you deal with the cream cheese shortage during the supply chain problem?

KN: Well, I found I bought a few refrigerators and I put them in my garage. I found a company that was selling cream cheese and I bought from them and I keep it in the refrigerator so I never short.

LG: Gotcha. And you said the business for you was amazing before the pandemic. Could you describe a little bit why it was so amazing?

KN: Because there was no pandemic [laughs]. Everything was regular life. It was nice and the summer was amazing. Everything was open in the life before the corona.

LG: Why do you think that Rockaway Bagels happened to survive the pandemic, as there were a lot of business closings?

KN: Because I know how to run it. The problem is that people sometimes are afraid to change the business for the times. You have to change the business in order to make it work. If it’s that you have to do delivery, and you have to take the tables out, and you have to put out more advertising, and curbside delivery, I like to change the whole thing. So that’s what you do, but many people didn’t do it. You know, they just keep the restaurant open the way that it was before.

LG: You mentioned to me earlier that it was a bit difficult for you to find employees during the pandemic. How have you been able to manage that?

KN: Well, you offer them more money. That’s it. Right now, I’m afraid to lose people. So I keep two extra people on staff that I don’t even need. This is how bad it is. So spending money for nothing, just to keep the workers. But it’s hard.

LG: You talked a little bit about the supply chain. But were there any other unique difficulties that your business was facing during the pandemic?

KN: First of all, everything went up, it’s so crazy now. You can’t just raise the price every day. It’s a bagel store — it’s not a Walgreens or Stop and Shop or whatever, they can raise the prices. So it’s also hard because you don’t want to raise the prices. You don’t want to let the customer know that you’re also playing with them. But it is what it is. I raised the price in the past year five times.

LG: Do you ever have customers complaining to you about the new prices?

KN: They all understand. Because now, wherever they used to spend like $300 a week, now they spend, sadly, $500 a week. So they also complain and I’m trying to keep my price not too high, I’m not a greedy person. But there is no other choice and it’s very hard.

LG: What do you what do you think brings in regulars to your specific bagel shop instead of others?

KN: The service. The service has to be very fast, the freshness of the food, and the place has to be clean all the time. It’s very important, the way that you talk to the customer. That’s what they like, the personality and the attention.

LG: What kind of customers tend to come to Rockaway Bagels?

KN: All kinds. Irish, Italian, Jewish, non-Jewish, everything.

LG: You said you’re from Israel — I’ve actually been there two times myself. Is it kind of a culture shock living for you coming from Israel and now living in New York?

KN: It’s hard because over here it’s mixed. And you don’t really feel the holidays or whatever. You feel this Saturday on Shabbat. And also I got a few times, in the bagel store actually, that people discriminate. In the beginning when I came over here some guy came and said, ‘Oh, I thought that you Jewish guys have a horn on your head.’ He thought that I’m the devil or something, or that I have a big nose because we lie, all kinds of bullshit like that. Basically I think that was the worst. Except that, I think that America is a great country.

LG: What is your favorite thing to order?

KN: Everything bagel scooped, toasted with fresh lox, sundried tomato, cream cheese, jalapeno, capers, and a few more stuff. That’s basically at the top of my head. I also have very good hamburgers but I gained weight since the pandemic so I’m trying to keep it not too crazy.

LG: Where do you see your bagel shop in the next five years?

KN: Still in the same location. Nothing’s gonna change.