Baking & Snack - June 2022 - 31

OPERATIONS
Junior's Cheesecakes & Desserts
Junior's Cheesecakes & Desserts is expanding rapidly with
more employees, equipment and double-digit growth.
by Michelle Smith
A
As the heavenly scent of freshly baked cheesecake rises
in the air, the floor of Junior's Cheesecakes & Desserts'
is abuzz with activity. Workers are loading 6-inch pans
with ¼-inch slices of sponge cake before they are filled
with their signature New York-style filling and loaded
onto pans that will be placed in one of the ovens.
This day's crew is making 6-inch Strawberry Swirl and
Original, which is still the most popular flavor.
" Right now we're doing plain, " said owner Alan Rosen,
who considers that statement for a beat before revising
it. " New York Style. Original. Nothing plain about 'em. "
The recipe is the same one that Mr. Rosen's grandfather,
Harry Rosen, served in Junior's Restaurant &
Bakery when it opened 72 years ago in Brooklyn, NY. It's
a key part of his family's proud legacy, and one he fiercely
holds onto. He calls them mom-and-pop cheesecakes.
" Some are golden brown, some are a little darker, some
lighter. It's homemade, " he said. " The same way we were
making them in 1950 is the same way we're making them
now. We may have a little more automation involved, but
not one presentation of that cake has changed. "
What has changed is the size and scope of the business.
The bakery posted a whopping 52% revenue
growth last year and is up 30% so far this year. The
bakery moved seven years ago into its current building
in Burlington, NJ, which is more than five times larger
than its previous facility in Queens, NY. It has enjoyed
double-digit growth over the last six years. Ninety new
employees have been hired in the past year, and the
company is in the midst of adding several pieces of new
equipment to enhance operations.
That kind of rapid expansion could cause more than
a few problems, especially in an industry that has been
grappling with rising costs and supply chain and workforce
issues. While Junior's has certainly experienced
some challenges, it hasn't slowed them down.
" This is organic growth, " Mr. Rosen said. " Most of our
existing customers were wholly responsible for our 52%
growth last year. What happened during COVID is people
who probably never bought a $10, $12, $15, $17 cake
in a grocery, they bought it because they were home.
They weren't going out to eat. I think we got lucky. They
adopted our brand very rapidly. "
Better bakery for all
Mr. Rosen is in his element as he leads a tour through
the bakery, fist-bumping and greeting employees along
the way. It's obvious he relishes the work, rattling off the
numbers related to production as he weaves among the
equipment and racks of cheesecakes either ready for the
oven or cooling after baking.
" He's got a great relationship with every one of his
employees, " said Jason Schwartz, Junior's president,
who oversees 18 managers, bakery operations and
sales, among other things. " He's the engine that keeps
this company running. That's the way I look at him.
He's just a great person to work for. ... He doesn't ever
slow down. "
The bakery employs 229 full-time workers, up from
140 a year ago. It runs two baking shifts, two packaging
shifts and one decorating shift five days a week, with
daily maintenance done in between.
" Production starts at 4 a.m., and we'll bake until 2:30
p.m., then we'll clean and wash down the whole room, "
Mr. Schwartz explained. " Then we start back up baking
at 6 p.m., and we'll go 'til 4 o'clock in the morning. "
Finding and maintaining workforce has not been a
problem at Junior's, although the company is constantly
hiring and training, Mr. Rosen said.
" People come to us. We train, we coach, we hug, we
promote from within, " he said. " The person who runs
HR for the whole company started out as a hostess in
www.bakingbusiness.com / June 2022 Baking & Snack 31
Junior's takes pride
in its mom-andpop
cheesecakes
because they have
variations in color
like a homemade
dessert.
Jelani Griffith
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - June 2022

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