Bodo's Bagels — Restaurant in Charlottesville

Bodo's seems to be more and a shadow of its former self. The pandemic was hard on all of the service industry and Bodo's adapted well even though they still certainly have a difficult task hiring and keeping good staff, most of this isn't their fault.

I think the worst part is the overall vibe in the stores and particularly on Emmett where things the approach seems to be apathetic. It's the opposite of an upbeat and friendly environment for the staff and customers. Food quality continues to decline along with everything else. I tend to get a solid Caesar sale about 1/3 times I order them. I love the business, the bagels, food, and options or I wouldn't keep coming. Even when things have declined they're still pretty good, but no where near the great consistent local eatery.

When there is an issue now you aren't met with sincere apology or willingness to make it better so much as seemingly like you're picky.

The Caesar for example used to have well sorted lettuce, that was dried after washing, and crisped (I believe). All of these things don't seem to happen at all or are just not done with any level of consistency yielding salads that look more like the one pictured than what we all used to enjoy.

Anyways I love this place and always have. When Brian sold the restaurant to a number of his managers it was a thoughtful move and they did a fairly good job keeping up all the quality for some time. Brian was of course a bit neurotic about food and quality and we were super lucky. It's clear that certain locations struggle much more than others and the flagship Barracks location which also keeps the longest hours has been negatively affected the most.

I don't know if it's the wages that are sold or more of a management issue, but know a lot of us would be happy to pay a bit more if it meant the quality of the food and quality of life for the employees was better there. It's only been after years of the same steady decline that things have come to an inflection point. I still crave Bodo's, but leave disappointing half the time these days and look forward to updating this to...

Bodo's is a big deal for Charlottesville. This location is off campus a few miles. This was my first ever visit to the famous locals bagel shop. Their iconic location is on the UVA campus.

Surface parking is nearby, but they can get slammed! The employees park in the drive-thru lane no longer in operation. The lot was clear of debris.

The atmosphere inside was electric! My visit was on a UVA move-in Saturday. It was busy, but not packed at around 330 in the afternoon.

It took little time to walk up and order. Menu boards make it easy, but if you're new I recommend looking at their online menu first. Service was super friendly by the young male staff. Some questions were asked on suggestions and customization. Payment is at the counter and they accept all major credit cards. There was no option to tip. In my opinion the pricing was very good.

Orders are called out and my pastrami on everything came out within 5 minutes. My wife got a chicken salad and daughter egg & bacon. I absolutely loved my pastrami on swiss. The bagel was not toasted and was soft with a nice chew.

My daughter like the egg & cheese, but bacon lower quality. My wife thought the chicken salad was quality, but they forgot the lettuce. Ultimately they both liked their sandwiches.

While enjoying our meal staff was wiping off tables and sweeping underneath tables. Trash is deposited by customers and it was within its boundaries. Also the restrooms were clean.

A super operation all around. Great bagels and a strong value. They missed the mark a bit, but I will 100% return and if never been it's a must! 4.5...

I just moved here last year. Everyone. Talks. About. Bodo's Bagels. Everyone!! Even my OB/GYN in Fredericksburg asks me every time if I have gone there to eat yet. I worked on a client who is a manager at one. I really wanted to have a nice experience, since she was so kind and talked highly of her job there.

Bodo's Bagels reminds me of the donut place from Mars Attacks. Its old school, got giant bagel decorations, and every thing is white or cream coloured. It was semi busy when we got there. Since it was my first time there I got confused on where the line was, because people were waiting on their food in random places. The woman who took my order was quiet and sullen. Now they serve chicken salad, but you should know "they use turkey". Seriously, it says it on the board. It is etched on the board as if it has been there since they opened. I thought it was the craziest thing ever. I even asked the woman (I'm sure i am not the first to point it out), if it was serious. I mean at that point it should say "turkey salad" instead of chicken salad.

Anyway, they have a lot of interesting choices to put on a bagel of your choice. Whitefish, salmon, BLT, tuna, vegetarian, turkey salad (whoops "chicken salad"), ham, and there was other interesting choices. You can also add your lettuce, tomato, sauces, and such.

The bagels are great! I had the BLT, the bagel was warm and such. Next time though, i will probably go through a drive through.... if they even have one. Or get it delivered, it gets way to crowded and the staff doesn't seem all that excited...