Iconic Brooklyn restaurant Junior’s is set to open its second location in Times Square in 2017.
The family-run business is taking over the Ruby Foo’s space at 1626 Broadway, amNY.com has confirmed. The 300-seat restaurant will feature a bakery and live entertainment.
This is “another great opportunity to create an iconic Junior’s restaurant in the heart of New York City, our home,” said Alan Rosen, co-owner of the family-run business. “There is so much demand for Junior’s in midtown, now we will be able to serve even more New Yorkers and visitors for years to come.”
The original Downtown Brooklyn location of Junior’s opened in 1950 in what was then a very different borough. In the past five years, the area has seen upscale shops and luxury apartment buildings move in. In 2014, Rosen flirted with the option of selling the air rights above the building to a developer, but dropped the plans after he learned he’d have to close the restaurant for up to two years during construction.
“I’ve been coming here since I was 4 years old,” he told amNY.com at the time. “I couldn’t not be here. I think I’d be miserable.”
The first Junior’s branch to open in Manhattan, at 1515 Broadway, will also remain open.
