Toasted Bagel Café — Restaurant in State College

After the experience, I had there today, I’ll never go back. I do want to say that their food is really good, even though the prices might be a little high.

So here’s what happened to me: I ordered online 30 minutes before I arrived. It had said that it would take 15 minutes on the GrubHub app as I ordered takeout through GrubHub. I ordered early because I had to be back to work by a certain time. I went in and there was a crazy line and all of the customers looked upset. There were people on the line who were talking about how hungry they were and how long they’ve been waiting in the line. There was a girl who only got half of her order and no one knew what the other half of her order even was. There was a girl who ordered a vanilla latte and got a matcha.

I went over to the GrubHub pick up spot and noticed my food wasn’t there. I waited for about seven minutes, no one talked to me, looked at me or made eye contact. I had to interrupt a very busy gentleman to ask him if he thought my food would be up soon. He told me that their computer was unplugged when I placed my order and they never received the ticket. And I said well the money came out of my bank account. He was very polite and accommodating and found a manager for me without me having to ask.

It was $30 two bagel sandwiches and I left a tip. I asked to cancel the order and refund my card. I went back out to the car and realized that that was all the money that I had and I was still hungry and had to eat at some point today.

So I went back in and asked how long it would take for the refund, they said one to two business days. I explained that that was all of the money that I had and that I would take a cash refund Instead. They said that’s not how it works and that it wasn’t their fault that I ordered on GrubHub and not directly through them. Those were the words of the manager, who was clearly not empathizing with the fact that if he didn’t fix the problem, I was going to go hungry today since I couldn’t wait for them to make it without being late to work.

So I walked away, I went out to my car and I started hysterically crying. Seconds after I sat down, one of the workers was tapping on my window. I purposely ignored him, but he kept tapping. I rolled my window down and he let me know that my card would be refunded today. I said okay, whatever, I don’t wanna talk to you. Please leave me alone. I understand he was trying to do a good thing and I should have thanked him as he was very kind, but I was having a very personal moment in my car and the last thing I wanted was a handsome man watching me cry. The money did go back into my account instantly . So I thank them for that. I work a food service job myself, so I understand how to deal with these situations when they happen. I’ve paid out of my own pocket before to fix mistakes that were my fault because I understand what it’s like to be hungry and poor. The way of the situation was dealt with, even though I got my money back, it made me feel so bad about needing the refund and I felt shamed by the manager. Probably not intentional, but sir if you’re reading this, please walk in my shoes for a minute to think of how it felt to be on the other end of the situation. I was very respectful but I didn’t feel that back from the manager. The employees seemed cool though. Leaving this review is sad since I’ve been a customer since early high school, about ten years. Plenty of other bagel shops in state...

Everything bagel here really excels: possibly the best Everything bagel in town. Plain is good too, but other bagels are disappointing. Asiago and everything is just an everything with a couple shreds of burnt Asiago cheese on top (nowhere else in the bagel). Cinnamon Raisin bagel had all of the raisins and much of the flavor sink to the bottom, so the top half is just blah. And the worst is the Blueberry bagel which is 100% comprised of imitation blueberry pieces, along with that nasty, artificial blueberry taste too. If they had a genuine Blueberry bagel with real blueberries and an Asiago bagel with cheese baked inside, then I'd buy bagels here a lot more often. Also the butter they use is unsalted, so a heads up for those who want a regular, buttered, toasted bagel: you might want to ask for a little salt on it.

Toasting of bagels is perfect, but different bagel sandwiches are just ok. I only tried lunch-oriented sandwiches, not breakfast ones. And cold cuts are nothing special, even if the food seems pretty fresh. I can't say anything about the coffee since I haven't tried it.

Service is a hit or miss. Sometimes they don't get my order correct, especially if it's different than just the regular way they prepare something. I've never encountered rude customer service, but I do get the feeling that they really don't want to be working there. No smiles, no apologies for mistakes, and only the bare minimum communicated verbally. I'm fairly easy going, yet this customer experience is a bit raw. And I'm all for favoring and supporting local businesses who have the courage compete with the chains. However, to do so you at least have to make some effort to make Toasted a welcoming experience. I mostly just stop by to break up my morning routine, as there are better options in town. Perhaps they're nicer to regulars?

Finally, this place does offer a pretty chill, relaxing locale in which to grab something quick or hang out with some coffee. Sometimes the music is a little off-putting, but at least right now not as bad as some other reviewers mentioned. And I love the bagel handle on the front door. When entering I noticed that there's always a slightly off-putting burnt smell. May be this is just from the toasters that haven't been cleaned? Regardless, don't think they have a proper hood/vent for those toasters. I love a bit of a toasted smell, but draw a line when it just smells like...

Food: 7/10 convenience: 8/10 atmosphere: 5/10 Staff: 7/10 price: 6/10 Overall: 6.5/10

The food is decent but costs too much for what they’re offering (basic breakfast food), The serving size is to be expected you don’t get that much food.

The music they play is usually loud, which isn’t always a problem but i wouldn’t recommend bringing a potential business client or taking someone on a date here as the seating is horrible (and limited to less then 15 seats), the music which is often non-english artists can be distracting.

The staff was overall very friendly and offered great recommendations when asked. Don’t expect much more then common decency and respect. It’s not fine dining, so don’t expect that level of service or even anything on olive gardens level.

My most recent visit i ordered 2 egg sandwiches and 2 drinks, which took about 13 minutes to all come out at a medium busy time of day. I’d always count for at least a 10 minute wait, potentially pushing 20 on a busier day.

Very casual breakfast spot to explore by yourself or with a friend, i’d only recommend going here once or twice a month due to the higher then expected prices and sort of hectic...