Bruegger’s Bagels Looks Towards New York City
According to NRN, the Bruegger’s Bagel chain is looking to open 15 locations in NYC, starting with a location in Midtown near Times Square. I guess there aren’t a ton of bagel places in Midtown (Ess-a-Bagel and Times Square Hot Bagels are the only two that come to mind), but it still seems like a weird business move. Anybody ever tried this place? Where do you get your Midtown bagel fix? [NRN via Wined & Dined]
Posted by Zach Brooks at 1:30 pm, May 4th, 2009 under Asides, Bagels.
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29 Comments
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For the love of G-d no! These are the most soulless bagel you could ever eat. I have nightmares of chocolate-chip bagels (not kidding, they have those) with lox and cream cheese.
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terrible bagels- ny’ers will laugh at them
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I’ve been there a few times when I lived back in Ohio, not worth the money spent. After living here 10+ years, I am proud to say that I don’t eat bagels outside the city limits anymore, just not worth it. You aren’t going to get a good bagel anywhere else.
While strange they would push into the NYC market, if Sbarro and Olive Garden can find footing in the city, why not Bruegger’s? Which begs another question, how can Olive Garden survive here? There are SO MANY other options. Duane Reade has better food options than Olive Garden.
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Einstein Bagels tried this a few years ago on the upper east side. They failed miserably. So much for market research. HOWEVER, Dominoes and Papa Johns both do brisk business in NY, so who knows what the hell to think?
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I am the CEO of Bruegger’s and would like to respond. As for research, these comments confirmed our the work we did – Manhattanites are very opinionated about bagels. This is why we are not looking to displace your local favorites by entering neighborhood locations. (Though I am familiar with H&H and Ess-a-bagel and am not conceding that they are better.)
As for our product we make our own fresh dough, boil and bake in each location in small batches so the bagels are fresh and hot. Our bagels have won “best of” awards year after year in cities across the country. We don’t believe bagels (or, for that matter, any food) should be “oversized”. We pride ourselves on offering healthy, wholesome food, in a warm, inviting atmospere with great guest service. And while we are known for our bagels we offer much more – sandwiches and paninis , hearty soups, fresh tossed salads, organic and fair trade coffee and desserts.
Though we are new to Manhattan we have over 30 locations in New York State. We hope we will be as welcomed in Manhattan. -
Tal Bagels are simply the best in the city, period. Blind test them against H and H or ess-a-bagel and you’ll see.
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Any place that sells sun-dried tomato and blueberry bagels should be ashamed.
As a 4th generation Brooklynite and the granddaughter of a Ratner’s baker, I can confidently say that Bagel Hole in Park Slope is the best in the city. Dark, crusty and -this is key-smaller than a volleyball (my parents always say that today’s bagels are about 2x the size they were 50 yrs ago).
For bialy’s, Kossar’s on Grand St. takes the prize.
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Whoa! NYers are famous for this kind of blustery, old-school, “My-neighborhood-has-THE-BEST-_____” kind of rhetoric. So no surprise there. I am un UWS-er with H&H nearby (over-priced and tastless and have been for years). I was upstate last week, was served bagels at my Mom-in-law’s breakfast table, and couldn’t believe how good they were. Guess what? They were from Bruegger’s. Never heard of them. Before I left we went to the store and bought a dozen. Yes, that corporate-branded atmosphere is a turn-off for a “serious” city-dweller, but I cast my judgement aside and came home with a dozen bagels ($8, that is $16.80 in H&H dollars). I’ve been wondering all weekend why I haven’t noticed any Bruegger’s in NYC and now I think I see why. NYers would rather not give a place like this a try. Too bad because this is a much better bagel than anything H&H is serving up and for a much better price.
Sarah – glad I could be of service! I hope that place is still there. I haven’t been in that neck of the woods for a few months. It’s been there for years though so I can’t see why it wouldn’t still be there.