Junior's
 |
|
| Type | owned by Junior's Enterprises |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Headquarters | Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York |
| Products | Cheesecakes, desserts, drinks, Kool-Aid, coffee |
| Revenue | $200 Million (2005) |
| Website | www.juniorscheesecake.com |
Junior's is a restaurant at the corner of Flatbush Avenue Extension and DeKalb Avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn (386 Flatbush Avenue Extension). The restaurant also has an outlet inside Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, one in the Times Square area, and one in the hotel lobby of MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut. The restaurant was founded by Harry Rosen in 1950.[1] According to the restaurant, it was named Junior's after Rosen's two sons, Walter and Marvin.[2] In 1982, Governor Mario Cuomo declared May 27 as Junior’s Restaurant Day. According to GO Brooklyn, "At the corner of Flatbush and DeKalb avenues in Downtown Brooklyn, there has been a diner run by the Rosen family since 1929. In 1950, the name was changed to Junior's, and it has been serving its famous cheesecake and other goodies ever since. The interior of Junior's was modernized in 1983 after a major fire in the restaurant. The diner was featured in the Brooklyn Public Library's children's book of Brooklyn landmarks, "Brooklyn Pops Up."[3]
Rosen worked with master baker, Eigel Peterson, on the Rosen family's recipe[1] to create the cheesecake known today as "The World's Most Fabulous Cheesecake" based on a recipe that was in the Rosen family for three generations.[4]
In 1981, when the restaurant caught on fire, a crowd of people watching the firefighters started chanting "Save the Cheesecake!"[4][5][6] However, the fan base is not limited to Brooklynites. A Kuwaiti prince was known to have taken several Junior's cheesecakes back with him.[4] The delight of critics,[4] the cakes have been sold nationwide through various outlets, including the television shopping network, QVC.[4] In 2010, Junior's defeated fellow New York City cheesecake shop Eileen's Special on an episode of Food Feuds as Michael Symon's choice for best cheesecake in New York City.
In the 2003 Making the Band 2 Season Two, "Da Band" was assigned to walk to Brooklyn and get a slice of cheesecake from Junior's for Sean P. Diddy Combs. They also filmed their single "Tonight" from their 2003 album "Too Hot for TV" in front of the restaurant.
In addition to cheesecake, Junior's features deli sandwiches (particularly corned beef and pastrami), ten ounce steakburgers, cheese blintzes, and unique onion rings.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Asimov, Eric (October 11, 1996), "Harry Rosen Is Dead at 92; Junior's Restaurant Founder", The New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E4DA133EF932A25753C1A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
- ^ Barron, James (May 9, 2006), "Provenance of Junior's Cheesecake Is Questioned", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/nyregion/09juniors.html
- ^ Greenwald, Josh (March 12, 2001), "Historic Bites", The Brooklyn Paper, http://www.go-brooklyn.com/html/issues/_vol24/24_10/oldeats.html
- ^ a b c d e Kennedy, Randy (February 19, 1997), "In Brooklyn, Passing the Torch of Success", The New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E6D61E3FF93AA25751C0A961958260
- ^ Johnston, Laurie; Oreskes, Michael (August 10, 1982), "New York Day by Day", The New York Times: B–3, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60D13FD3A5D0C738DDDA10894DA484D81
- ^ Quindlen, Anna (May 25, 1983), "About New York; City or Borough, Dodgers or No Dodgers, Brooklyn is Brooklyn", The New York Times: B–5, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70E1FF7355C0C768EDDAC0894DB484D81
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Junior's Restaurant |
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 40°41′24.46″N 73°58′55.20″W / 40.6901278°N 73.982°W
