Rounds Bakery has built a loyal following over the last three decades.

"I just drove 30 minutes to be here when they opened the doors, does that give you an idea,?" said George Jostlin, a native New Yorker who now lives in Sparks. "They've always had the best bagels in town, the closest thing to a New York bagel you'll find in Nevada."

But for the last few months, the cases and bins have sat nearly empty; all the baked goods were individually wrapped, and other pandemic protocols have been in place. Ultimately, the owners decided the right thing to do was to shut the doors.

"We found that the current retail model was not sustainable for us," said Owner Sean Cary. "So what we chose to do is to take the rest of the pandemic to put together a new, forward-thinking, bold plan that's going to lead the industry. We're going to put together a new restaurant concept for the future because we are living in a COVID world and we need to have a business that can survive in a COVID world."

The commercial bakery and fresh-packed food side of Rounds will continue, so you'll still see products in local grocery stores and coffee shops.

"The way I look at it, the business isn't closing," Jostlin said. "The retail side is closing but the bagels aren't going away, we'll just have to put in a little more effort to get them."

Cary says most of the retail employees were able to shift to other positions within the company.

"We're still able to provide them with health care and the fact we're living through a pandemic and I can still give health care to my employees is top of mind to me," he said.

It's not the first restaurant in the area to close down due to the pandemic, but future plans are in the works.

"It's hard, you look at so many of the greats in Reno, from the 4th Street Bistro to the Santa Fe, and it's really sad," Cary said. "However, our closure is coming from a different perspective. We are doing this now so we can preserve the health for the future."

The website is still taking online orders, so fans of the croissant donut, known at rounds as #notacronut, can still get their fix.

"I'm sorry to see the retail go, but it's a sign of the time, unfortunately," Jostlin said. "If you are a fan of any business, frequent them now."

For more information, visit their website. 

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