Stanley Zabar, a co-owner of New York City’s iconic Zabar’s, died Monday at the age of 94 at his home on the Upper West Side.
His daughter, Dr. Sondra Zabar said that the cause was cancer. His death comes just over a year after the passing of his older brother and longtime public face of the business, Saul Zabar, who died at 97.
The culinary and cultural cornucopia at Broadway and West 80th Street was founded in 1934 by their parents, Louis and Lillian Zabar. What began as a small fish counter and deli eventually grew through decades of hard work into an Upper West Side fixture known for its smoked fish, fancy cheese, coffee, babka, and bagels.
After their father died in 1950, Stanley Zabar helped run the enterprise alongside Saul. While Saul managed operations, Stanley earned a law degree from Brooklyn College and maintained a dual career as an attorney while running the financial and legal side of the business.
Their longtime partner, Murray Klein, handled pricing and merchandising before his death in 2007 at age 84. Sondra Zabar, a vice president at Zabar’s, told the Times that they all worked to their strengths, adding that her father “had a talent for being strategic.”
In a statement posted on social media, the store remembered Stanley Zabar as a “quiet force behind our family business,” crediting his financial acumen with helping shape the market into a beloved institution.
Breaking News: Stanley Zabar, who for decades helped run Zabar's, his family’s famous food emporium on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, has died at 94. https://t.co/zcCLUVdA3F
Often working behind the scenes, Stanley Zabar and his brother kept the enterprise operating like a family by treating staff and patrons in the same manner. His son David Zabar said that anyone visiting the shop from 1950 onward likely encountered one of the brothers directly, adding that his father deeply wanted to take care of customers and make people happy.
Daughter Sandy Zabar expressed that walking into the store made her feel close to her father, describing him as a remarkable man dedicated to his children, grandchildren, and the wider community of shoppers.
Beyond the store, Stanley and his wife, Judith, dedicated time and resources to philanthropy, supporting Hunter College, the New York Public Library, Symphony Space, NYU Langone Health, and the Careers through Culinary Arts Program.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal called Stanley Zabar “a Manhattan icon” on social media, noting that the atmosphere built by the brothers epitomized the character of the West Side.
We’ve lost a Manhattan icon: Stanley Zabar, who passed away at 94 years young. I’ve often said I represented the Manhattan district stretching from “the gay bars to Zabar’s,” taking inspiration from Stanley and his storied family business. Zabar's is a community institution… pic.twitter.com/PT9uvHy2Rk
“I’ve often said I represented the Manhattan district stretching from ‘the gay bars to Zabar’s,’ taking inspiration from Stanley and his storied family business,” Hoylman-Sigal said.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin also shared a message on X, writing, “Thank you, Stanley Zabar, for the bagels, the babka and the sense of belonging you and your family have given Upper West Siders for decades.”
Stanley Zabar, co-owner of iconic Upper West Side grocery store, dies at 94 https://t.co/33AB7dIbph pic.twitter.com/T1zm6fwyAg
Customers remembered his dedication to everyday details. “I buy my lox here a lot, and I never have to tell the guys to cut it thin. They just know it by habit,” customer, Louis Lindenberg said.
Another shopper, Floyd Eden, remarked on how the small enterprise grew tremendously into a Sunday staple for the neighborhood. David Zabar acknowledged that while the younger generation misses the older leaders, they carry forward the valuable lessons learned from them.
Stanley Zabar’s funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at Riverside Memorial Chapel.
