O’Hara’s Bakery Café at 121 E. Main St. in Lexington has announced an immediate but temporary closure as of Sept. 23. The announcement was made via their Facebook page Sunday with a hopeful emphasis on the closure being temporary.
In the announcement, O’Hara’s owner Matt O’Hara wrote, “We are not giving up on the space or the prospect of finding a model that might work here, but we are going to cease operations under the current model. My attempt to transition the business from a table-service bakery and café to a counter-service bagel shop has just not produced the required results. We are evaluating all options that are available to us with hopes of coming through this with a viable hospitality business.”
O’Hara goes on to write, “I still believe very strongly in the product… I love the bagels and I am hoping to work with [chef] Pete to see him land on his feet and continue to provide this wonderful thing to the people of Lexington and beyond. We will keep you posted here when any further decisions are made. Thanks to all who have been a part of this place over these past five years.”
The café has undergone minor transitions since they’ve opened. In 2020, when it was still under the name, The Haven, the café’s chefs worked with a Nonnah’s chef so they could make and sell Nonnah’s desserts in Lexington. Nonnah’s had closed in The Vista in Columbia.
The Haven eventually changed their name to O’Hara’s Bakery Café. O’Hara also is an owner of O’Hara’s Public House at 131 E. Main St.
Throughout the café’s lifespan, it has been a coffee shop, dessert café, breakfast and lunch spot and most recently a bagel shop making and serving New York bagels.
The temporary closure announcement has garnered more than 660 reactions and more than 520 comments from patrons and even other business owners.
Barrio restaurant commented, “O’Hara’s was one of the reasons why my wife and I selected Downtown Lexington to build our restaurant. We saw how the community supported this business and felt we wanted to be a part of this community. Owning a restaurant and managing the day to day operations is grueling. I know how hard Matt works day and night. This had to be a very tough decision.”
He continued by writing, “Inflation, increased labor costs, food costs, all of the areas that affect every household effect restaurant owners as well. The challenge is keeping our products at high quality without raising prices so our guests return frequently. It’s sad to see one of our friends have to make this tough decision. We will continue to support O’Hara’s while they move on to the next venture. Please support all of your local businesses in downtown Lexington.”