Hours after fans began lining up before sunrise for the opening of Bethenny Frankel’s Supermodel Cafe in East Quogue, Southampton Town officials posted a stop-work order on the storefront’s window, citing building code violations and an unsafe condition. The order landed on the same day, August 13, that the pop-up at 481 Montauk Highway welcomed its first customers, some of whom had arrived as early as 5:15 a.m.
According to Daily Voice, the Town of Southampton said Frankel’s pop-up cafe created a dangerous and unsafe condition, violated New York State building codes, and ran afoul of Town of Southampton zoning rules. The notice, posted by Southampton Town Senior Building Inspector Michael Chih, specifically cited noncompliance with the state building code, a violation of Southampton Town Zoning Ordinance Chapter 330, and the presence of a dangerous and unsafe condition, according to Newsday.
Sidewalk Furniture And Signage Draw Court Summonses
Southampton Town Public Safety Administrator Ryan Murphy said officials also delivered court summonses to the business over sidewalk obstructions, including unpermitted outdoor tables, oversized chairs, and an unauthorized sign, per the same Newsday account. Those violations target physical setups on the public walkway rather than the crowds themselves, though the two issues arrived at the storefront within the same 24 hours.
Under Chapter 123 of the Southampton Town Code, all building activities must cease once a stop-work order is posted, and the order can only be lifted by a written letter from the building inspector. Town legislation from February 2025 sought to set a minimum fine of $750 per day for stop-work order noncompliance, according to Patch, underscoring the financial stakes for a business that has yet to resolve the citations.
Frankel’s Team Downplays The Order As A Warning
A spokesperson for Frankel pushed back on the severity of the town’s action, telling Daily Voice there is no anticipated disruption to business and that the stop-work order does not require the cafe to close. The same spokesperson attributed the town’s warning to unexpectedly high launch-day turnout rather than structural problems, according to Newsday, and said the team was working with local officials to resolve the issues without shutting down operations.
Frankel herself said she couldn’t believe people would wait so long for the pop-up, and told Daily Voice the opportunity came about suddenly, giving her about four weeks to plan the store before opening. She said the future of Supermodel Cafe was uncertain from the start and that she simply wanted to see how people would react to the concept. Frankel has shared scenes from the pop-up on her own social media accounts.
A Viral Bagel Concept Lands In A Quiet Hamlet
The Supermodel Café concept grew out of viral social media posts earlier in 2026 showcasing what Frankel called “supermodel snacks,” tied to her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue feature at age 55, according to Long Island Wave. The 481 Montauk Highway space previously housed the coffee shop Goldbrew, and before that, Goldberg’s, and now operates under the banner powered by Goldberg’s, relying on the established East End bagel business for its baked goods, the outlet reports.
East Quogue sits west of the Shinnecock Canal, making it an unusual perch for a celebrity-backed pop-up more typical of busier village centers in Southampton or East Hampton, per Long Island Wave. The menu leans into the viral, luxury-Hamptons pricing that built the brand online: $3 basic bagels paired with $12 premium spreads like caviar, cacio e pepe, and miso tahini, plus $15 chicken salad items and specialty flavor lattes.
Frankel signed the lease and opened the doors within about four weeks, designing the pop-up for a temporary run of roughly three weeks through late August, according to Long Island Wave. That rapid turnaround, paired with launch-day crowds pulling in visitors from as far as Nassau County, appears to have outpaced the permitting process, leaving Supermodel Cafe to sort out retroactive approvals or face mounting fines while its three-week clock keeps ticking.
