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Russ & Daughters is opening at 50 Hudson Yards, 415 10th Avenue near 34th Street, if everything remains on track, in spring of 2023. Fourth-generation owner Niki Russ Federman along with cousin Josh Russ Tupper confirmed the 4,500 square-foot space will feature a seated counter and standing rails, an area for baking bagels, an event space, and the return of online ordering for takeout and delivery which was only available during the pandemic.
“This project represents our life work,” says Federman. “We do everything we can do to maintain tradition and continuity in the fabric of New York and in people’s lives, while, at the same time, reinvigorating Russ & Daughters and being open to change and innovation.”
Federman confirmed plans for the space, designed by international firm Foster + Partners, started over a year ago. Though Russ & Daughters has conservatively expanded in its over 100-year history with the around-the-corner cafe in 2014, a bakery in 2015, a location inside the Jewish Museum in 2016, and retail in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 2019, this is the biggest and most ambitious expansion so far.
“We’re always looking for an opportunity that’s a great fit,” says Federman. “We couldn’t say no to this one.”
The location taps into a stretch that Federman says is “underserved when it comes to Russ & Daughters.” It will also feature more counter space with 30 seats that will become a Champagne and caviar bar in the evening (much like the cafe menu). Meanwhile, that bagel zone will be on view to the public, so customers will see those bagels on wooden boards after coming out of the oven.
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During the pandemic, when the restaurant prepared delivery out of the closed cafe, they realized how much demand there is for speedy, local Russ & Daughters delivery; scheduled pick-ups online also skyrocketed, something the business isn’t doing at the moment. An expansion, of course, means more jobs: Russ & Daughters currently employs 130 people; this adds another 20 to 30 employees.
Even though the space will be new, there will be old-timey elements. “We’re recreating the appetizing counter as close as possible to the original,” Federman says, noting they’re building a custom showcase because “they don’t make them like that anymore.”
The new location isn’t the only thing that’s on the front burner for the company, as they’re also making a scripted TV series with Time Studios, as well as a new Russ & Daughters cookbook from Flatiron Books that will debut in 2025.