By Gus Saltonstall
After being closed down by the Health Department at the end of October, a popular Upper West Side bagel spot reopened earlier this month.
Bagel Talk reopened during the first week of November at 368 Amsterdam Avenue, near the corner of West 78th Street.
A Health Department inspector had found flies, evidence of mice, evidence of rats, and smoked or processed fish, raw eggs, and other food not being held at the proper temperatures. Bagel Talk received 76 points worth of violations during the October inspection, which is 48 points more than what is needed to be shuttered.
West Side Rag got in touch with the longtime owner of Bagel Talk, Abid Islam, who has run the Upper West Side eatery since 1998.
“Look, the buck stops with me, and this is the first time we’ve been closed since 1998,” Islam told the Rag in a phone call. “We dropped the ball on our customers and we are not very proud.”
Islam explained that in recent years, their building relocated its garbage and trash area much closer to where Bagel Talk does some of its food prep, including near the eatery’s basement freezer. The proximity made it easier for pests to get into the area, but Bagel Talk has since stopped using the freezer.
“We value our customers more than anything else, the customers are the ones who have kept us here since 1998,” Islam said. “We addressed the issues. I personally could not sleep for three nights. I made sure all of the issues were taken care of.”
When the Health Department reinspected Bagel Talk on November 4, it earned just four violation points, which is an A grade.
Renovations included improvements to the floors and ceiling, and also switching its exterminator. Islam added that Bagel Talk plans to close in January for a few weeks to conduct larger renovations to “fix these issues once and for all.”
Islam mentioned that he had always tried to be there for the Upper West Side, remaining open while many other businesses closed during Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic, when he donated thousands of free bagels to health care workers and first responders.
“This is my life. The majority of my adult life, I have been on the Upper West Side,” Islam told the Rag about what the community means to him. “The people here are the ones who pay my bills, who keep me in this amazing community, and I can’t thank them enough. It means a lot. I’ve always wanted to be here for them when hard times came, and I hope they can be here for me.”
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I hope this is not the tip of the iceberg in terms of other eateries with the same issues.
While I cringe at the findings, I am impressed with the Mr. Islam accountability. All the stakeholders have a vested interest in the store’s success. Good luck!
I am very glad that Bagel Talk has addressed this essential issue and will go further with renovations. We have ordered from them for parties in the past and they have always been a pleasure to work with. Good luck, and we hope you have many more good years ahead.
Good on Mr. Islam for being honest, accountable, and not only making the necessary changes but being determined to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Well done and welcome back!
I’ve never eaten at Bagel Talk, but the way Mr. Islam took responsibility for his business short-comings, and owning up to the fact that the buck stops with him…that’s a person I want to do business with. I will be taking the walk up to his shop this weekend to welcome them back. Wishing Mr. Islam and his crew all the best.
He says, “We Value Our Customers More Than Anything Else.” but you can’t just speak about it, you have to be about it. I’m glad that even though he’s managed to reopen he’s going to do more so that it’s not just Bagel Talk, it’s Bagel Action.
This comment is gold, thank you
I wonder how they cleaned up rat and mice problems.
Guessing an exterminator?
lol
Containing garbage is such a huge issue in the city that needs to be addressed.
Sam wrote:
“I wonder how they cleaned up rat and mice problems.”
Same way you do in a home or anyplace else.
Find and seal every single hole, crack, gaps between floor and wall boards and otherwise exclude rodents from entering.
Remove sources of food, water and nesting material.
Finally use of rodenticides and trapping.
Some property owners and or even professional exterminators are lazy when it comes to rodent proofing. To do the job correctly *EVERYTHING* has to be moved, emptied and examined from floor to ceiling. This includes large appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, behind or under sinks/cabinets, etc…
Plumbing and heating (as in pipes for steam or hot water) are frequent ways rodents can enter. They also use those pipes as conduits to travel from floor to floor, apartment to apartment and otherwise throughout building.
If you don’t exclude rodents from entering a structure or whatever all you’re doing is basically feeding them. Yes, traps or baiting may pick off some for time being, but sooner or later they will return.
Speaking of bagel talk, Pop Up Bagels just raised their prices from $12 to $13 for 3 bagels and a schmear.
They were able to get away with the conditions for years ?
What changed ?
How can we trust him though not to make the same mistakes and ‘drop the ball’ again?