Einstein Bros. Bagels — Restaurant in Reno

Wow. Just wow. I have no earthly idea why I continue to give you guys my business. Today, I decided I wanted a coffee, as I really do love your coffee. But, as I, and many are aware, your espresso machine or your frother, or whatever else is always broken. More than half of the time I come by to get the one thing I ever really want from you guys, I can't. I tried to call before making the stop, but no answer. As per usual. I always try to call beforehand, sometimes up to six times, before anyone ever responds. So, I made the stop anyway. Surprise, surprise, the espresso machine was broken. No real shocker there. My boyfriend was at work hungry, so I just decided to get something there for him, as well as myself and my hungry toddler in the backseat. I got the avocado veg out, and requested potato salad as my side, and got chips for my boyfriend's side.

I dropped the sandwich off to my boyfriend, who had asked for extra tomato schmear. The girl even repeated, "extra schmear?" To which I agreed. Well, that "extra" schmear was nowhere to be found, and he got extra raw tomatoes and wilted lettuce instead.

I just got home, excited to eat my potato salad, aaaaand it's not there. You made sure to give me a fork, but no potato salad. Cool, thanks for yet another huge disappointment with this singular order.

Last weekend, my parents and I stopped by for coffee, and guess what? The machine wasn't working! Are we even surprised at this point? Then we ordered sandwiches, and I ordered avocado toast with a six cheese bagel for my toddler. Once we were seated, we were THEN told the six cheese bagels were gone. Fine, whatever, we'll take asiago, instead. Once we got our order, and I opened the box to feed my baby, I was greeted with the most unappetizing avocado toast I'd ever seen. There were large chunks sloppily spread across the bagel, because the avocado was NOT ripe! Instead of telling me the avocados weren't ready to be eaten, they decided to serve it that way instead. Unripe avocados are absolutely disgusting! I couldn't feed that to my baby, who was now getting grumpy and angry, so we decided to just pick up and leave.

I really wish I'd have taken a picture, but I was in such shock and disbelief that I completely forgot.

This isn't some isolated or singular event. Almost every time I come by, there is something messed up with my order, or your coffee machine isn't working, or you guys just completely screw me out of part of my order. You guys are known for bagels and coffee, and half of what you do hardly ever works. I had written a review six months ago with most of the same complaints, but was never responded to. I had to delete it it order to leave another review.

Einstein's has only continued to go downhill since then. You have disappointed me for the last time.

Below is my boyfriend's sandwich with "extra" schmear, extra raw tomatoes, and...

Subject: Extremely Poor Experience at McCarran Blvd. Reno Location – Urgent Attention Needed

Dear Einstein Bros. Bagels Team,

I am writing to share a deeply disappointing experience I had at your Reno, Nevada location off McCarran Boulevard. I strongly urge your leadership team to review this store’s operations, as it reflects poorly on the Einstein Bros. brand and was a complete and utter nightmare from start to finish.

I arrived around 1:45 PM to find the store messy, disorganized, and visibly understaffed—or rather, under-engaged. The drive-through appeared to be closed despite it being well within posted hours. Inside, there were at least seven employees visible, but only two appeared to be actively making food, and they were doing so at such an incredibly slow pace that multiple guests, including myself, began commenting on the inefficiency.

To illustrate: I ordered a single bagel and still waited an excessive amount of time. One woman sitting near me shared that she had placed her mobile order at 12:47 PM and was still waiting at 1:43 PM—nearly an hour later. Four other women in line at the counter hadn’t even been greeted, let alone assisted.

Meanwhile, two young men at the register area—one tall and stocky, the other small, thin, scrawny and unkempt guy—were playing with a blue tip bucket, seemingly more interested in counting tips than serving the growing line of frustrated customers. When guests suggested they help instead, they responded with rude and dismissive attitudes. It was insulting to watch.

There appeared to be a manager or supervisor present—an older woman who came from the back—but she neither stepped in to assist nor offered any warmth or leadership. Another older woman with blonde hair seemed to shift into cleanup mode before closing time, even as customers were still waiting. It felt like customers were a burden, not a priority.

To make matters worse, the food I finally received was incorrect. I ordered a turkey and cheddar deli bagel, which on the menu lists lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, mustard, and mayo. My sandwich had no lettuce, no mayo, no mustard, and a pile of tomatoes and overly thick onion slices. While technically edible, it was far below the quality and consistency I’ve come to expect from your brand.

In summary, this store is poorly managed, inefficient, and unwelcoming. I sincerely hope your team will investigate this location, address the service and staffing issues, and ensure better quality control and customer service...

Let’s start positive: the food here is phenomenal. Seriously, absolutely delicious. But unfortunately, that’s where the joy ends, because getting your hands on it is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube in the dark while being stared at by confused strangers.

This is my sixth god-awful experience here. After the fifth disaster, I swore this place off. But today, I was just hungry enough to think, “Maybe—just maybe—they’ve gotten it together.” Spoiler alert: they have not.

I ordered online an hour ago, walked in, and was greeted by an employee who looked at me like I had asked her to explain quantum physics. After a long pause, she said, “Oh my gosh, I think someone took your food,” and then drifted away into the abyss. That was it. No replacement, no apology—just me sitting in the lobby like a fool, praying to the Bagel Gods.

Meanwhile, about 30 other people were sitting there with the same lifeless expression, all of us waiting for sandwiches like contestants in some cruel social experiment. One employee spent 45 minutes staring at receipts like she was trying to read the future. I’m fairly certain there isn’t a manager within 10 miles of this place.

The food? 10/10, can’t deny it. The customer service? It’s not just bad—it’s horrible to the core of humanity. The actual definition of what customer service should never be. Delicious bagels don’t fix the fact that this establishment might actually be the most disorganized operation in existence.

If Einstein really had anything to do with this place, I can promise you he’s rolling...