Bethenny Frankel’s new Hamptons venture got off to a headline-making start after local officials moved to intervene at the Real Housewives of New York City alum’s newly opened café.
Frankel, 55, launched Supermodel Cafe on Thursday in the relatively low-key hamlet of East Quogue. But the opening-day buzz, which reportedly brought in more than 700 visitors, was soon met with a yellow “stop work order” notice from authorities.
“Today’s Supermodel Café launch drew an extraordinary turnout, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support from the community,” a representative for Frankel said in a statement to Us Magazine.
The statement added: “The café received a yellow notice labeled ‘Warning Stop Work Order’ following concerns surrounding the unusually high volume of launch-day attendees.”
Frankel later addressed the situation directly on social media, pushing back on confusion over the notice and what it meant for the business.
“We got a stop work order at the cafe but we don’t have to stop work. Evidently, it’s about construction, but we’re not doing construction,” she said in a TikTok post.
Leaning into her trademark humor, Frankel continued: “So, like I said, we are the Billy Joel of bagels, we play until we can’t play no more. But they’re letting us play.”
Southampton Town Public Safety and Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy told Newsday that notices had previously been issued to the café and that “they failed to take corrective action.”
Bethenny Frankel, 55, officially opened her Supermodel Cafe on Thursday but, after a turnout of over 700 people, the launch was quickly dampened by a ‘stop work order’
The ‘stop work’ order was plastered on the window of the pop-up and said they had failed to comply with New York State and Southampton’s building code and town ordinances
The reality TV star herself jumped onto social media to say that the order was for ‘construction’ that they weren’t doing
‘We’re also going to be issuing some violations and/or summonses from the Fire Marshal’s office as well for sidewalk obstructions and unpermitted signage,’ he said.
According to the outlet, the order was plastered on the window of the pop-up shop and claimed the establishment had failed to comply with New York State and Southampton’s building code and town ordinances.
The Skinnygirl founder launched the pop-up with the inspiration of her viral ‘supermodel snacks’ or healthier recipe videos that dominate her social media brand.
‘Seeing Supermodel Cafe come to life and seeing all of you show up for it was more than I could have imagined,’ she wrote on Instagram.
‘Thank you to everyone who came, ate, drank, laughed and made our first day so special. This is only the beginning. You are all my supermodels.’
The cafe serves lattes, lighter bagels, protein-focused spreads and dips, caviar, low-calories cakes and a ‘lighter’ chicken salad recipe – the first menu item to sell out on opening day.
Fans can purchase Frankel’s ‘protein-forward, 150-calorie bagels’ which she made in conjunction with Goldberg’s bagels.
The menu even boasts two special caviar-laced bagels for around $40; the ‘Rage Bait’ bagel at $38 and the ‘Nepo Baby’ bagel at an eye-watering $43.
Southampton Town Public Safety and Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy told Newsday that notices had already been dished out to the cafe and ‘they failed to take corrective action’
The Skinnygirl founder launched the pop-up with the inspiration of her viral ‘supermodel snacks’ or healthier recipe videos that dominate her social media brand
The former Real Housewives star told Our News Outlet that she’s planning to expand the Supermodel brand into multiple food categories with nationwide distribution, stores and cafes, and that she ‘100%’ sees it becoming even bigger than Skinnygirl
There’s also a gluten-free cheesecake with 10 grams of protein and 102 calories along with six signature lattes, which Frankel concocted alongside her coffee partner Cumulus.
On Instagram, Frankel wrote that she wouldn’t want to ‘sacrifice taste and flavor when you make something better for you.’
‘This is a line of ‘better for you’ bagels, flavorful dips, all creative flavors…The cafe just happened before I had even fleshed out all the recipes,’ she wrote on July 31.
‘It’s perfect,’ Frankel told Newsday. ‘We don’t even call it a pop-up anymore, only because it doesn’t feel like one.’
Frankel famously founded Skinnygirl Cocktails in 2009, which she later sold to Beam Global for over $100million just two years later.
The former Real Housewives star told Our News Outlet that she’s planning to expand the Supermodel brand into multiple food categories with nationwide distribution, stores and cafes, and that she ‘100%’ sees it becoming even bigger than Skinnygirl.
Frankel first entered the spotlight as a contestant on NBC’s The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005, where she was the first runner-up.
A few years later she landed on The Real Housewives of New York City, where she became the show’s biggest breakout star.
The Daily Mail reached out to Frankel and the Town of Southampton for comment.
