A New York City bar owner, Mary O’Halloran, has found an unexpected path to recovery after her establishment, Mary O’s, was forced to close during the pandemic. By turning to her mother’s Irish soda bread scone recipe, O’Halloran not only kept her business afloat but created a new culinary sensation, with customers now lining up daily for her popular baked goods.
Key Takeaways
- Mary O’Halloran, owner of the East Village pub Mary O’s, pivoted to baking scones during the pandemic.
- Her scones, based on her mother’s Irish recipe, gained significant traction online.
- A "Humans of New York" feature led to a surge in orders, resulting in millions in sales.
- O’Halloran has now opened a dedicated scone shop in the East Village.
The Pandemic Pivot
When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered her East Village pub, Mary O’Halloran faced an uncertain future. To make ends meet, she began baking and selling homemade scones online, using a cherished family recipe from County Mayo, Ireland. What started as a way to survive quickly evolved into a burgeoning business.
A Viral Sensation
The popularity of O’Halloran’s scones exploded when a "Humans of New York" Instagram post featured her story. This exposure led to an overwhelming demand, generating approximately $1 million in scone sales. O’Halloran dedicated over a year and ten months to fulfilling all the orders, ensuring each customer received the same quality she had initially offered during the lockdown.
A New Chapter: Mary O’s Irish Soda Bread Shop
Three years and hundreds of thousands of scones later, O’Halloran has realized a long-held dream by opening Mary O’s Irish Soda Bread Shop. Located just a short distance from her pub on East Seventh Street, the new shop offers her famous scones, coffee, and Irish tea. O’Halloran emphasizes the freshness of her baked goods, often preparing them as customers visit.
The shop operates on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, starting at 7 a.m. until the scones sell out. Special holiday hours are also available for pre-order pickups. Despite the demanding schedule, balancing the pub, the new shop, and raising six children with a husband who travels for work, O’Halloran finds joy and magic in her work, a sentiment she believes is shared by her customers.
Sources
- New York bar owner recovered from pandemic with her popular scones, NBC News.
- Pub owner brings famous scones to new shop in East Village, Spectrum News NY1.