Izes Deli & Bagelry — Restaurant in Maryland

To the Owners of Ize's Deli & Bagelry,

My first visit to your establishment was substandard at best. I placed my order for pickup and encountered an older woman behind the counter that felt the need to single me out in your restaurant. Before entering I noticed that you did have a sign for masks. I paused for a moment then saw another middle-aged gentleman in the building also not wearing a mask. So I entered the building; I was waiting in line to pick up my order an older woman working the counter decided to yell at me for not having a mask on. I stood in line shocked as she was yelling at me; then I asked her "what the difference was between myself and the guy that had been there longer than I was since he also didn't have a mask on?" She then replied saying "well the mask mandate is back on you can't be here!" The guy without the mask replied to her and said "No that is incorrect" she then had nothing to say and went back to taking orders. The older woman proceeded to take the maskless man's money and said nothing to him. As soon as I got to the front of the line she started yelling again. She proceeded to tell me that "next time I come into the building I need to have a mask on." At this point, I'm very frustrated since she took the maskless man's money and didn't say a word to him but had all kinds of opinions when it came to me. Again I asked her "what is the difference between him and me?" Since she took his money and didn't provide him the same warnings. The final thought is very disappointing that I just moved into this neighborhood 3 weeks ago and can't go to a local place up the hill less than 5 min away from my home. I would like to have management/owner contact me please...

It pains me to give this deli a low rating. Their food is wholesome and wonderful. However, I can’t help but notice that the owner is still adding an up charge for any dish ordered with an egg even though the bird flu and the resulting supply and demand issues are now over. Such actions erode trust and prevent the shop from building a repeat customer base. I unfortunately will be taking my business to another wholesome shop (there are many to choose from) that builds better trust and partnership with its customer base and isn’t so short sighted and transactional.

Response to the owner: Thank you for your response. I suggest posting a sign with clear transparency that there is an up charge for every egg related order and what that up charge amount is. I didn't single sign there when I was in. This way customers don't feel blindsided when you ring them up. I completely understand that these unexpected costs need to trickle down to the customers, but at minimum customers should be informed ahead of time. You have a wonderful product but the exchange doesn't build a good experience. During the times of uncertainty, clear communication and transparency can to your customer base can only help. I wish you all the...

The service was absolutely horrible. We walked in on a Sunday morning to get donuts and breakfast. We weren't greeted by anyone even though we were the only people at the counter. There was an older woman counting money at the cash register and a young Asian man (only using descriptors because I didn't get names) behind the counter. He had his back to use and wouldn't turn around or acknowledge us. The older woman kept calling his name, asking him to assist us. He kept ignoring her.

He finally turned around and she asked him to help us. He turned around as if we were bothering him by having the audacity to expect to be served. He was exceptionally rude. We got our donuts and moved down to the food counter.

We ordered French toast bacon and eggs to go. We got home, and it was, without a doubt, the worst breakfast ever. The food tasted as if the grill hadn't been cleaned in years. Everything tasted the same, like old burnt grease.

The donuts, on the other hand, were absolutely delicious. They were soft, sweet pillows of dough.

Donuts:...