Greater than a yr after transferring on from his eponymous enterprise Rubinstein Bagels, Andrew Rubinstein says that his former accomplice Ethan Stowell Eating places nonetheless owes him cash. Based on a Seattle Instances story, the bagel maker filed a lawsuit final week in search of $100,000 from the prolific restaurant group, alleging that he was attributable to obtain that cash as a part of the association the events agreed to after they break up up however has not gotten it.
Rubinstein began out promoting bagels at pop-ups a number of years in the past and established a residency on the Stowell-owned Cortina Cafe in 2019. He shortly turned often known as one of many space’s prime bagel makers and launched Rubinstein Bagels as a brick-and-mortar in 2020 in a partnership with ESR. The second location of Rubinstein Bagels opened on Capitol Hill in 2021, with enlargement on the horizon.
However final yr, Rubinstein introduced that he was promoting his stake within the enterprise to ESR. A part of the explanation for this, he advised Eater Seattle, was that he needed to give attention to making bagels moderately than managing a number of shops; he additionally needed to focus extra on his household. He began a brand new model, Hey Bagel, and thought he would finally open a retailer on the Eastside, nearer to the place he lives, earlier than deciding to come back again to Seattle — his extremely anticipated new store will open in College Village later this yr.
In the meantime, Rubinstein Bagels has continued to develop with out its namesake founder, opening areas in Redmond and Eastlake within the final two years.
When requested concerning the lawsuit by e mail, Rubinstein mentioned, “I want [Stowell] no ailing will and I anticipate we’ll resolve it shortly.” A consultant for Ethan Stowell Eating places didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
