GN icon Bruce’s Bakery closes

John Santa

Bruce’s Bakery, the self proclaimed “Baker to the Stars” that operated along Middle Neck Road in the Village of Great Neck Plaza for the past 29 years, has closed its doors.

“After may years Bruce’s is now closed as of June 3, 2012,” a statement on the business’ Web site said. “We will no longer be shipping orders.”

Attempts to reach Bruce’s Bakery owner Bruce Zipes for comment on this story were unavailing.

“It is another landmark restaurant that has left the community,” Vice President of the Great Neck Plaza Business Improvement District Jay Corn said. “We’ve lost Pancho’s Border Cafe. Years ago we lost Millie’s Place. This is a real blow to the business community.”

In February, Zipes closed his Manhattan location known as “Bruce’s Bakery & Restaurant” on Sixth Avenue and West 16th Street before several months later filing for bankruptcy, according to a Crains New York article published in May.

That location replaced the Bruce’s Bakery & Restaurant shop on East 59th Street in Manhattan near the Queensboro Bridge. That bakery had operated for 10 years before closing.

Founded in 1970, Bruce’s Bakery originally opened in what its Web site referred to as “the ‘Gold Coast’ of Merrick, Long Island, New York.”

After seven years of operation, Bruce’s Bakery expanded to Roosevelt Field before settling in its location at 34 Middle Neck Road in 1983.

“Bruce’s was another destination restaurant with a big following,” Corn said. “There were some outside issues here. The bottom line is that the cost of doing business today is too high.”

The Great Neck Plaza location of Bruce’s Restaurant and Bakery closed for several days in February following a carbon monoxide leak, which sent three people to local hospitals.

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