Photo by George Mahe
Photo by George Mahe
Just when we thought that December would come and go without a major hiccup, we learned that The Bagel Factory (11256 Olive) closed several days ago. The tiny storefront business is now for sale. A sign on the door directs callers to former owner Hans Oberdorfer, who’s handling the sale for current owner/operator Tony Moit. (Interested parties can reach Oberdorfer at 314-583-4249.)
Oberdorfer says the co-baker (with whom Moit split the duties) fell ill and that Moit was unable to both operate the business and bake full-time, hence the decision to close.
Reached outside the establishment, Moit confirmed that the business closed before Christmas and that after “getting to work at 2:30 [a.m.] and working seven days a week” for 25 years, he was “tired, beat up, and burned out.” Like others in the foodservice business, he lamented the challenge of finding qualified help, especially on short notice. “I can’t find bakers to do what I do when I do it and have to pay them more these days, so I’m stuck. I’m trapped... I’m young enough to retire, I’m able to retire, so I’m going to retire,” he said.
For nearly five decades, The Bagel Factory has been the go-to place in St. Louis for authentic New York–style water bagels. For many devotees, it was the only place. Known for a telltale shiny exterior (achieved through a short boil prior to the bake), Bagel Factory’s bagels have a tight, firm crumb and a chewy texture that makes them an ideal candidate for lox and/or a schmear.
The Bagel Factory was a cash-only business that opened for limited hours and closed when the goods sold out, which was often before noon. Early birds were treated to warm bagels, in what had to be two dozen varieties: plain, poppy, onion, garlic, everything, salt, pumpernickel, egg, cinnamon raisin, struedel, oat bran, bialy, tzitzel, corn meal, whole wheat, as well as seasonal options such as pumpkin and apple cinnamon. Fresh bagels were stored in marked wire bins; day-old bagels were sold in bags by the half-dozen, sometimes in a random assortment. Mini-bagels were available by special order. Different varieties of cream cheeses were available all the time. Moit would often greet early customers by asking, "What can I get you?" If supplies ran long late in the day, the query became, "How many dozen can I get you?" We’ll also miss the constant high praise that The Bagel Factory “can hang with the New York guys" and that it sells “the Rolls Royce of bagels.”
The unexpected closing leaves a hole (sorry!) in the local New York–style bagel supply: This article, for instance, chronicled other places across the metro area to buy bagels, some New York–style, others not.
The new year holds several glimmers of hope, though: According to AJ Moll, partner at Kohn's Kosher Deli (10405 Old Olive), the deli is "ramping up production in an attempt to meet demand." Every Friday afternoon, Baked & Boiled operates a pre-order pop-up out of Wild Olive Provisions (2201 S. 39th). Lefty's Bagels, which had been operating out of the Trolley Stop Bakery hub in Chesterfield, is slated to open its first brick-and-mortar location in January at 13359 Olive in Chesterfield. C and B Boiled Bagels will open in January at 62. E. Ferguson in Wood River, Illinois. And the long-awaited, forthcoming bagel shop from Union Loafers at 8705 Big Bend in Webster Groves is also "so damn close," according to co-owner Sean Netzer.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated from the original version.
