Magnolia Bakery has finally crossed the bridge. The famed West Village cupcake and banana pudding institution held a soft opening for its first Staten Island location on Monday, with the New Dorp shop set to welcome the public Tuesday at 10 a.m.
The new bakery sits in the Hylan Commons shopping center, tucked between Aldi and Planet Fitness, according to SILive.com. It's owned by Ereny Ghobrial of Huguenot, who becomes Magnolia Bakery's first franchise owner anywhere in New York state. As Time Out reported, Ghobrial said she's excited to bring Magnolia Bakery to a new borough and closer to the community.
Magnolia Bakery CEO Nathan Louer struck a similar note, telling Time Out that franchising with passionate local operators is important, and that the company is excited to partner with Ghobrial in Staten Island. The Staten Island shop will carry the brand's signature banana pudding, layered with vanilla wafers, whipped cream and real bananas, plus cupcakes in flavors like red velvet and traditional vanilla with buttercream frosting.
A Banana Pudding Bar With Four Flavors
Beyond the classics, the New Dorp location features a dedicated banana pudding bar offering four specialty versions — caramel brownie, cookies and cream, red velvet, and chocolate hazelnut — each priced at $10.95 for a two-serving cup, per the same SILive.com account. The shop will also stock layer cakes, lemon bars, fruit pies, specialty cheesecakes, chocolate-chunk cookies and icebox bars, according to Time Out.
Staten Island becomes Magnolia Bakery's 12th New York location. Before the New Dorp opening, the chain had 11 locations in the state — 10 in Manhattan and one at LaGuardia Airport, the station's report notes. Louer told SILive.com the company would love to open three to five more locations in the area in the future, with its eye on reaching all five boroughs.
From a West Village Storefront to a National Franchise Push
Magnolia Bakery's story began in 1996, when the original shop opened in Manhattan's West Village, SILive.com reported. The company didn't start franchising in the United States until 2025, when it awarded its first franchise location in Salt Lake City, Utah. Staten Island is part of a broader wave of franchised shops that Magnolia said would open in the back half of 2026 across Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Detroit, Louisville, Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Cleveland, according to QSR Magazine.
QSR Magazine also reported that Magnolia was scheduled to open nine U.S. shops in 2026, on top of the 10 it already operated across New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, with its international bakery count expected to climb from 40 to 50 by year's end. SILive.com reported that the company plans to expand into at least 15 additional states in the coming years.
Other Markets Getting Their First Taste
Staten Island isn't the only new territory on Magnolia's map this fall. In the Philadelphia area, two franchise locations operated by Jake Klein and John Candela are on the way, with the first slated to open Nov. 17 in Centerton Square in Mount Laurel, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. A second Philadelphia-area shop is planned for spring 2027 near Rittenhouse Square, though the Inquirer noted no additional leases had been signed as the partners explore further sites.
Louisville got its own introduction to the brand over the summer, when Magnolia opened its second U.S. franchise location there following the Salt Lake City debut, as reported by the Courier Journal. That franchisee has said she plans to open two more Magnolia Bakery locations in the Louisville area within the next few years, a sign of just how aggressively the company is leaning into its franchise model nationwide — with Staten Island now part of that same growth story.
