Lox it in!
Manhattan institution Russ and Daughters — which has been serving up smoked fish, caviar, and bagels on the distant island since 1914 — will open its first Brooklyn outpost inside an old Navy Yard weapons depot next year, the company announced Monday. The store’s owner says the 200-year-old former shipyard is the perfect spot for such a long-running salmon-slinger to make its Kings County debut.
“It’s a natural fit,” said Niki Russ Federman, a fourth-generation owner of the iconic shop.
The appetizing emporium will lease space in the Navy Yard’s Building 77, which is currently undergoing a $185-million renovation from windowless storage space to a slick business hub.
The beloved Manhattan establishment will open a bakery, catering operation, and shipping center in the building — all of which will be on view to the public through glass walls — plus a grab-and-go store serving up breakfasts and lunches that can be devoured in the building’s football-field-sized ground-floor food court.
The company says it will hire 30 new employees to staff the operation, and one Brooklyn leader says he is confident it will be a boon for both the borough’s economy and its stomach.
“The sweet smell of success will soon be wafting from the halls of Building 77, as Russ and Daughters anchors a new hub of manufacturing that will serve up quality jobs — and quality bagels — to Brooklyn and beyond,” said Borough President Adams, who dedicated money from his taxpayer-funded coffers for the building’s makeover, alongside Mayor DeBlasio, and the City Council.
The company won’t be the only cult food purveyor in the Navy Yard — popular supermarket chain Wegman’s is also set to open up its first New York City outpost down the street on Admiral’s Row next year.
