However, when the country shut down last March, the boulevard was anything but bustling.
“It’s been tough times, to be honest,” says Alex Variu, manager of Gran Forno.
Gran Forno kept their store front open throughout the pandemic, removing seating while ramping up take out and trying to comply with all the other requirements.
“It’s been tough, the store has been open, we’ve tried to keep it open because there was no supply of bread in the chain stores and we tried to help everybody out as much as possible,” says Variu.
Marc Leach, a pharmacist and owner of The Chemist can relate as it has been a Las Olas staple for 16 years.
New York bagel-shop veterans Mark Fried and Marc Goldberg have bought Grampa's Bakery in Dania Beach, planning to reopen as a New York-style deli this April with New York water bagels, rugelach, housemade corned-beef brisket sandwiches and other diner classics.