Supermarket baked goods masters Entenmenn's have announced they will close their longtime Bay Shore bakery on Long Island, according to a release by parent company Bimbo Bakeries USA. Sales and distribution operations will continue at the site but 178 of the facility's 265 will lose their jobs with the bakery closure, according to Newsday
"This was a difficult decision because of the highly engaged team of associates at this bakery," explained vice president of metro area operations Rod Cunha. "However, after a critical assessment, it was apparent that the facility, first opened in 1961, cannot operate efficiently on a cost competitive basis with the other bakeries in our system."
The plant has operated out of the Bay Shore area since 1905, eventually expanding to the current 14-acre plant on Fifth Avenue. The original bakery was started in Brooklyn in 1895 by William Entenmann, who had emigrated from Germany. The company posted a message on Facebook announcing the closure, insisting there would be "no interruption to the availability, quality or freshness of the Entenmann’s products you know and love." Local fans expressed sadness over the news, with one expressing sadness on the loss of a "true symbol and smell."
