Noah's NY Bagels — Restaurant in Oakland

RACIST OWNER UPSET I WOULDN'T ACCEPT BURNT BAGELS!

I just had the most horrible customer service experience in over 20 years of patroning Noah's Bagels on Lakeshore Ave., Oakland, CA. I placed an order through the app for two plain bagels toasted with butter. When I arrived, I asked for my order to be "double toasted" (since I noticed it wasn't ready yet and that's a customization that you can't specify through the app).

At this time I learned that my order had somehow been lost or was never received, so the associate got the owner to address the issue. Unfortunately for me, my phone died at the exact moment I was trying to show the owner that I had placed and paid for my order through the app.

The owner said more than once, while shrugging his shoulders and waving me off, "well, there's nothing I can do for you" (even though mind you, I was a customer who had already paid for her order). There was no attempt on his end to investigate the missing order in the system or take other measures to fix or determine the cause of the issue. Instead, he seemed to immediately take issue with me, and it felt as if he thought I was lying - he treated me accordingly and dismissed my requests to find a remedy. It wasn't until I stated the exact amount I remember paying for the order, that he begrudgingly turned around and seemingly decided to proceed to make my order. He never verbally mentioned at all that he would fulfill my order. So (being unsure whether or not the owner was making my order), I proceeded back to my car, with my two young children in tow, to let my phone charge for a bit so I could prove I paid for my order.

When I returned and showed the owner the email confirmation of my order that was on my phone from 30 minutes earlier, he simply pointed and said "your bagels are over there." There was no apology for the confusion, or for the fact that their system/app failed, or for the delayed time it took me to get my order. I thanked him anyway, took my bagels, my kids, and left.

However, when I got to my car and opened my bag, I discovered that my bagels were COMPLETELY BURNT (i.e. charred black on top). I wish I had of taken a picture to show that this was not a subjective preference issue. My food, by any objective and reasonable person's standard, was burnt.

I unloaded my kids from the car (again), walked back into the store, and simply requested that my order be fixed. The owner began to berate me, saying dismissively that I asked for "double toasted." I agreed that I did ask for double toasted; I did not ask for my bagel to be burnt. In all my years of ordering my bagels "double toasted," they had never been served to me burnt as this owner had done.

The owner continued to berate me in public and in front of other patrons, while gesticulating with his arms, saying that I couldn't be pleased and that "we toast it once for you, it's too light! We toast it twice, now it's burnt! Make up your mind! We gave you what you asked for!" I physically opened the bagel and asked him if it looked burnt to him and he agreed that it did. I said again that I asked for double toasted; not burnt. I told him that I couldn't imagine any customer ordering or accepting a burnt bagel that looked like mine. I also told him that I, a paying customer, should not have to go back-and-forth to request that Noah's fix my food that was served to me burnt.

The owner eventually remade my bagels, but I wonder if I wasn't a black women, would this owner (an older white man) have given me the same lack of customer service after losing my order and serving me burnt bagels?

I am absolutely horrified at the lack of customer service. From being dismissed and waved-off because Noah's lost my order that I placed and paid for through their app, to being berated for daring to ask that my order be re-prepared after I was served burnt bagels (quite literally), to being told by the owner that my two decades of patronage meant...

I used to love coming here. I don’t know for how long, got to be more than 25 years.

Today I had one of the worst customer service experiences I can remember. I ordered a bagel. I gave a tip. I waited, while folks ahead and behind me were being served their food. I didn’t say anything. I walked outside and continued to wait. I saw my name on the screen while folks ahead and behind me were still being served. Then I watched the preparer make my food, while chatting with her coworker. I didn’t say anything. She then left my wrapped up bagel on the counter and turned around and continued chatting with her coworker. Her coworker finally mentioned that the bagel was sitting on the prep counter. She turned around and handed me my food. I still didn’t say anything. Then she says “you rude”. Probably because I didn’t say thank you and my face was that of a grumpy old man. Well, the experience did make me feel grumpy. But then she yelled at me some more, asked me if I work. What?!… why is this young woman attacking me? She is the one without work ethics, having my food get cold. Terrible experience from a franchise I have decades of experience loving.

I then ate my bagel and it was as delightful as it’s been for 25+ years. I won’t be returning to this establishment. It’s lost it’s kindness and work ethics. Wouldn’t mind getting...

Avoid using their app 1) they have no fraud controls so don't add your credit card, 2) if the service person charges you incorrectly and you are paying with the app Noah's does not have a way to fix it and the service people just point to the app and 3) there is no customer service for the app. I had fraud in the app that took more than 6 months to fix and I recently tried to use points in the app to make a purchase and the app directed me to start an order and then took my points and charged me $'s and after I escalated (bbb) noah's gave me my points back but I did not want the points I wanted to use my points on the purchase. The app is riddled with fraud and service issues. It is too bad I like their bagels but if you have issues you are out of luck. I have written two reviews and always get a response saying 'this is not acceptable go to contact us as ask resolution and then change your review' but I did go to contact us and they don't do anything, that is part of my frustration, they don't seem to have customer service if you do...