• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Stock

From pandemic struggles to St. Patrick’s Day crowds, Mary O’s soda bread rises to viral fame

by March 17, 2025
written by March 17, 2025

Nestled in a modest storefront in New York City’s East Village, Mary O’s Irish Soda Bread Shop blends into the other red-brick businesses on the block. But one thing sets it apart: Customers routinely line up, sometimes for hours, to get their hands on her freshly baked goods before they sell out.

The shop’s menu is simple, featuring Irish soda bread loaves and scones served with salty butter and fresh raspberry jam. The recipes, passed down through generations of Mary O’Halloran’s family, are at the core of her operations. But the secret to her success is precision. Only O’Halloran herself handles the batter, a non-negotiable standard she insists maintains the quality of her baked goods.

“I’ve had people come and say, ‘Why don’t you have somebody come in and help you?’ It’s not going to work,” she said. “The scone does not come out the same.”

Mary O’Halloran mixes her next batch of soda bread batter for customers waiting in the store.NBC News
Mary O’s storefront in the East Village of New York.NBC News

O’Halloran said the demand for her soda bread scones surges every March for St. Patrick’s Day, but her journey to success hasn’t been easy. Five years ago, O’Halloran was facing the closure of her East Village pub due to the financial strain of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her husband, a longshoreman working in Alaska, was unable to return home due to travel restrictions, leaving her to manage the business alone.

Mary O’Halloran’s Irish soda bread loaf.NBC News
Mary O’Halloran’s Irish soda bread scone served with Irish butter and fresh raspberry jam.NBC News

It was her loyal pub customers who encouraged her to start selling her scones, a treat they had grown to love. What began as a small-scale venture soon caught the attention of Brandon Stanton, the creator of the viral “Humans of New York” social media account with more than 12 million followers.

After interviewing O’Halloran, Stanton offered to help spread the word about her scones. Reluctant at first, O’Halloran eventually agreed, leading to a spike in sales.

“So I wrote a story on this, and we ended up that night selling a million dollars’ worth of scones,” Stanton told NBC News. “It is one of the greatest stories in the world.”

Customers line up inside Mary O’Halloran’s shop for scones and loaves of Irish soda bread.NBC News

The overwhelming response turned O’Halloran’s small baking operation into a community effort. Regular customers and neighbors pitched in by packing orders, printing labels and decorating boxes with handwritten notes and custom drawings from one of her daughters. Despite the surge in demand, O’Halloran remained committed to quality, handling every batch of batter herself.

“Mary is where she is because that scone tastes so dang good,” Stanton said. “She would have got there without me.”

It took more than a year to fulfill the backlog of orders, but the hard work paid off. The revenue not only saved her pub, but allowed her to open Mary O’s Irish Soda Bread Shop in November 2024. Customers from around the world flock to her store to sample the viral scones and meet the woman behind the treats.

“I live in Los Angeles, but they told me, you know, next time you’re in town, there’s a place we have to go, and it’s the best scone you’ve ever had. It’s the best soda bread,” out-of-towner David Murphy said.

For O’Halloran, the hard work has been worth it.

“I love it, so it’s easy,” she said. “Of course I’m tired, but I love what I get from it with people. So it’s easy.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Flagging sales and Elon Musk’s political activities are rocking Tesla’s value
next post
Goodbye to ‘bags fly free’ on Southwest Airlines, the last freebie in America

related articles

U.S. foreign tax bill sends jitters across Wall...

May 30, 2025

Amazon taps Xbox co-founder to lead new team...

May 30, 2025

Nvidia results spark global chip rally

May 30, 2025

Boeing to resume airplane deliveries to China next...

May 29, 2025

E.l.f. Beauty to acquire Hailey Bieber skin care...

May 29, 2025

Dick’s Sporting Goods stands by full-year guidance —...

May 28, 2025

Macy’s CEO says retailer will hike some prices...

May 28, 2025

23andMe to delist from Nasdaq, deregister with SEC

May 28, 2025

Walmart fined for shipping realistic toy guns to...

May 28, 2025

Why Trump’s iPhone tariff threat might not be...

May 25, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • Illegal immigrant gender surgeries blocked from taxpayer funding under new GOP bill

    September 12, 2024
  • Sinwar’s removal from battlefield is ‘significant,’ presents opportunity for cease-fire, State Department says

    October 18, 2024
  • Trump tax cuts survive key House hurdle as fiscal hawks threaten rebellion

    April 9, 2025
  • Three Mile Island nuclear plant to help power Microsoft’s data-center needs

    September 20, 2024
  • Growing conservative movement in Canada is fighting back against ‘California on steroids,’ says strategist

    January 9, 2025

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 3

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 4

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (4,731)
  • Investing (624)
  • Stock (775)

Latest Posts

  • Zuckerberg, expressing regrets, admits bowing to Biden administration pressure to remove content

    August 28, 2024
  • Stocks fall as comeback rally falters; Dow lower by 100 points

    August 8, 2024
  • UnitedHealthcare taps company veteran Tim Noel as new CEO following Brian Thompson killing

    January 24, 2025

Recent Posts

  • 5 mistakes that doomed Kamala Harris’ campaign against Trump

    November 8, 2024
  • Support for Taylor Swift’s get-out-the-vote effort drops sharply among particular voting bloc: poll

    September 19, 2024
  • Melania Trump to focus on love as a ‘universal language’ at International Women of Courage Awards

    April 1, 2025

Editor’s Pick

  • Pence laments pro-life principles ‘fell short’ at RNC, thanks delegates for ‘noble’ fight

    July 23, 2024
  • AUDUSD and AUDNZD: AUDUSD in retreat from this morning

    August 26, 2024
  • Tulsi Gabbard thanks Trump for ‘unwavering leadership’ in Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy

    March 1, 2025
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock