Alfa Bagels — Restaurant in Randolph Township

If I could give zero stars, I absolutely would. This place is a joke. I ordered two bagel sandwiches with very specific instructions, and they couldn’t even get that right. I asked for a bacon, egg, and cheese, egg scrambled, extra bacon, and bacon well done. What did I get? A disgusting, barely-cooked pile of bacon that looked like it came straight from the farm to my bagel. It was so inedible, I had to throw the whole thing in the trash.

To make matters worse, when I tried to reach out, nobody answered the phone. After waiting an hour, I finally got through, only to be told to call back because they were “too busy.” Seriously? Maybe if you’re that slammed, you should HIRE SOME MORE STAFF or reconsider your career choices. If you can’t follow simple, direct instructions, you don’t belong in the service industry.

Sure, the bagels are great, but apparently, they’re being made by a team with the collective intelligence of a soggy paper bag. Save yourself the hassle and go somewhere that knows how to listen and doesn’t treat customers like an inconvenience.

UPDATE: called back a final time asking to speak to management and was told there is “no one there” and that I could “come back tomorrow.”

So now I have to waste another day going down to that pathetic excuse of a store just to have someone HEAR MY COMPLAINT.

THIS PLACE IS PATHETIC. BRING YOUR BUSINESS ANYWHERE ELSE BECAUSE THEY CLEARLY DONT CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMER AT ALL.

UPDATE 2 : It only gets worse. About 20 minutes after I was told I had to come in to speak with someone, a so-called “manager” finally decided to call me back. So what does that mean? Either the woman who answered the phone was too lazy to get a manager when I asked, or she was just a bold-faced liar. Honestly, either option fits the level of incompetence I’ve come to expect from this place.

Even after talking to this “manager,” it’s painfully clear that nothing is going to change. The staff here collectively couldn’t pass a kindergarten logic puzzle, let alone run a bagel shop. If you value your time, money, or sanity, go anywhere else for a breakfast sandwich. This place is an absolute disaster run by people who seem incapable of basic...

So Rude! Called to place an order over the phone for pickup and was told that my order could be fulfilled and it would be ready in 10 mins. Not even a minute later I get a call back saying that the type of bagel I wanted wasn’t available, so I would have to get it on a plain bagel. But after the second call I just didn’t want the order anymore. So I called right back wanting to cancel the order! The lady was giving me a hard time just to cancel it, so I think she put the manager or whoever on the phone. He asked me what the problem was but was very rude about it. He then put me on hold to reprimand the employee for telling me that my order would take more than 10 mins to be made. I could literally hear him yelling at her in the background. He was trying to get me to pick up the order because it was already made but, they initially told me it would take 10 mins, even though I called in less than 10 mins to cancel. He was so persistent about trying to figure out why I didn’t want the order anymore. Asking me if I couldn’t afford it or something. Like why does that even matter?! All they had to do was cancel it and hang up. The whole time he was giving me attitude and terrible customer service! He then finished the call saying that I should never call back or order there again…. All of this over me wanting to cancel my order! I’ve been getting my bagels from Alfa Bagel for years and it was the only place I preferred my bagels from. I even put lots of family and friends onto this deli but NO MORE! We will all take our business elsewhere! After this experience...

2/21/25 - Updated review - This week I bought 6 bagels and at least 2 things seem different. 1. They seem that they are smaller 2. More importantly they taste different. Not as good as the bagels I have gotten here for more than 10+ years. So I was disappointed. They are ok now but not good to great as I had previously reviewed and considered them. I’ll try one more time and if they remain average I won’t be back because I have to drive ~12 miles to get there. It seems to me the recipe has changed for the everything and pumpernickel. I always say if you have to raise the price do it before you change the recipe. I’d rather pay more for a product I like than a little less for an inferior product because I’ll never buy it again. Also, I lowered the service score because I was given the wrong change. There was no one else at the counter so she made a mistake which is fine because it happens but it shouldn’t.

Original review:

I have been coming here for years. I think there have been different owners, maybe. But the taste, texture and size can’t be beat! I have tried other bagel shops and I keep coming back to Alfa. I come from Morristown which is not close at all so that is saying something.

I recommend to the owners never, ever change the recipe. Raise the price if you have to but keep doing 100% the same thing because you are...