Magnolia Bakery is famous for launching the national cupcake craze out of its storefront in New York’s Greenwich Village in the 1990s. Since then, cupcakes have become a gotta-have-it snack across the country.

So as New Yorker Steve Abrams planned the opening of a Magnolia at Third and Orlando streets in Los Angeles, he could almost taste sweet success.

But there was a little bitterness along the way. The New Yorkers didn’t fully understand L.A.’s many rules and regulations.

The iconic bakery made its initial debut amid great hoopla July 17. “That was after a very lengthy process of working with the city to get it open,” said Abrams, 52, who co-owns the chain, which has four stores in New York and one in Dubai, with his wife, Tyra.

Nine days later, an inspection by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health didn’t go well. The bakery didn’t meet the requirements for a smooth washable surface over the cooking area. Its cash register was 36 inches high instead of the required 34. It also lacked final authorization for its plumbing and electricity permits from the city of L.A.’s Department of Building and Safety.

“We got a little ahead of ourselves,” Abrams acknowledged.

The health department also noticed a refrigerator temperature of 43 degrees instead of the mandated 41 and tap water five degrees below the required 120, Abrams said.

The county said the bakery couldn’t stay open while the fixes were being made. The 14 days Magnolia had to close meant $50,000 in salaries of about 50 idled employees.

“It was a headache,” Abrams allowed. “You’ve got momentum, you’re open, everything is going smoothly then, bam, you’re closed.”

He chalks it up to the inexperience of an East Coaster.

“When you’re in a new city and don’t know the lay of the land you get blindsided no matter how much research you do,” he said. “It’s just something we weren’t thinking about properly.”

With the city’s and county’s blessings, the bakery reopened Aug. 10.

“Business is great,” Abrams said last week. “In the long run, we have too many loyal followers for this to hurt us. We’re happy to be in Los Angeles.”