Orwashers is a New York City institution. And now it has moved a franchise to Willis Avenue, which may be the hottest location for business opportunities on all of Long Island.
The bakery has been in Roslyn Heights since November 2020.
The store, located at 327 Willis Avenue, is near The Shops at Willis Avenue, a prime retail location in Nassau County. According to proprietor Keith Cohen, himself a Roslyn native, this was a major attraction for the move.
“We wanted a suburban location,” he told Gold Coast Living. “This is the right area. People love raising their kids here. In retail, it’s all location, location, location. The store will attract people from adjoining towns.”
Orwashers specializes in breads and pastries. The Roslyn location, Cohen added, will offer a Gold Coast roast beef sandwich, named for the North Shore’s longtime moniker.
“We emphasize our food aspect,” he said. “That’s what makes our city stores unique.”
Cohen also passed along information on Orwashers’ history in New York. Founded in 1916 by a Hungarian immigrant family, Cohen said, the bakery began as a small storefront in the Upper East Side. It was born out of a desire to serve local immigrant community members and focused on the high-quality rye, black and grain breads that reflected the traditions of their homeland. After being passed on from generation to generation of the Orwasher family, the business was sold in 2008.
“Since then, we have worked hard to respect the brand’s rich history while incorporating a distinctly current point of view,” Cohen said. “As part of this evolution, we have partnered with regional farmers for raw materials, are working with local wineries to create their starters and have developed a new line of contemporary artisan breads to satisfy today’s palates. We are grateful for the rich history and loyal patrons that have brought Orwashers this far and look forward to baking great breads for many more decades to come.”
The Roslyn Heights bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The original Orwashers is at 308 E. 78th St. in Manhattan. The Upper West Side bakery is at 440 Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan. Both city bakeries are open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also find Orwashers at many farmer’s markets throughout the season.
Visit www.orwashers.com for details.