Source: Business Insider
In a neighborhood dominated by Bergen Bagel, there were high hopes for Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe, which was opened across the street from Zaytoons by Zaytoons partners Ahmad Samhan and Faried Assad.
While most agree that the bagels and gourmet deli items, organic salads, and pastries and sandwiches are tasty, the Shoppe seems to have a bit of a customer service problem, including complaints about long lines, inefficient staff, and, in a number of cases, it seems that they just can’t get the orders correct.
“I was so happy when Olde Brooklyn opened because I figured I would no longer have to walk to Bergen Bagels,” Jack Krohn wrote on Brooklynian. “After several months of giving Olde Brooklyn a try, I’ve returned to Bergen, despite the walk from my home.”
Why? Olde Brooklyn just can’t seem to do anything efficiently, according to Jack. Despite a simple order–bagel and cream cheese–it takes as long as 15 minutes to wait for the staff to complete the order. Compare and contrast that to the hyper-efficient Bergen Bagel, where staff dart about like parts in a well oiled machine. What’s more, Bergen rarely makes mistakes. In another post, user Smokin’ Joe says he’s a regular, but deals with an “annoying” wait and on a mildly complicated order (like, egg sandwich instead of just a bagel and cream cheese) “they’ve gotten it wrong a couple of times … i’m not sure where the flaw in their system is, but they should study terrace or bergen.”
Sure enough, multiple reviews on Yelp criticize the Bagel Shoppe for botched orders: “One-third of the time they will get your order wrong,” says one reviewer. “That is not really an exaggeration … However I am confident that these guys will pull it together and their food is good enough.”
Bottom line, by Champika F.: Walk a couple of blocks and go to Bergen Bagels instead: “I think this place is way overhyped … the service i’ve experienced is insanely bad. They’re nice but my orders have always been wrong. On one visit I asked for a whole wheat bagel toasted with scallion cream cheese. I even confirmed with him while he was preparing it – ‘scallion right?’ ..’Yes, scallion’. What I got – whole wheat, un toasted with vegetable spread.”