Bagel Lovers Medford — Restaurant in Town of Brookhaven

Hello, I am really not one to write reviews, but I feel like this needs to be said. Today, November 21st 2022, I gave Bagel Lovers of Medford a call, to call in lunch - rye toast, egg whites, avocado, grilled chicken. I'm not sure who I was speaking to on the phone, but he was a bit rude; it sounded like an older gentleman. After that, I had an occurrence, where I had to pick my brother up from the school due to an illness. I was unable to pick up the food. About a half hour later, I received a call, from the same man, and I guess I missed it so he left a voicemail. The voicemail said: "Hi GiAnna, I guess you're not coming to Bagel Lovers, thought you said you knew where it was. So, we made your sandwich for nothing, thanks for that." Honestly, I did take this the wrong way, and again I'm not one to write reviews. I've worked in a deli before, Bagel Express in Sayville, and I do understand, it's frustrating when a customer doesn't pick up their pick-up order. I understand, you spend your time and material on a sandwich that practically goes to waste, and I genuinely apologize. Family is a priority. There really was no need to leave a snarky voicemail. However, it is the employee's job to provide positivity to the customer, and not be rude about it. Whether it's a bad day or something, all part of the job is to provide good customer service. Customers really are the backbone to your business. Things happen, and my brother is more important than a sandwich I was unable to pick up. In my opinion, the voicemail left to me was extremely unprofessional, and again, life happens. Don't worry about sandwiches going to waste again though, because I honestly won't be...

So....this place had been my "go to" bagel store for YEARS when it was under different ownership. It was sold this past year. I was encouraged that they kept a couple of the old employees and made some.cosmetic upgrades to the store. They raised their prices about 15% and that I guess is par for the course. I have, however, seen a sharp decline in the cleanliness of the store, particularly in the grill area which has had me a bit concerned, but today, was the straw that sent me running in the opposite direction, never to return. I ordered an egg sandwich with ham and cheese and my wife decided she wanted a MINI BAGEL, less than three inches across with tuna. When they rang me up, I was charge the same for a mini bagel as a full size...$7.00! When I questioned it, the man behind the counter was bluntly rude and said "$7.00, so?" With that, I will NEVER return and will direct people across the street to Bagels Your Way in the DMV shopping center in Medford. Better staff, competitive pricing, more professional.service and a superior product. Avoid Bagel Lovers...

I try to cut people some slack these days, I know how hard it is to find good employees, but this place needs a little wake up call. Not only are they the most expensive egg sandwich or bagel in the area, but their counter help needs some serious training. Just now was the third time in the past few months that I called to place an order, the person who answered asked me to hold on a second, put the phone down, and just never came back. It's not like they are on another line, or have to take another call, they simply place the phone down and forget its there for as long as 20 minutes(yes I've timed them on a previous occasion) while you listen to them go about their day. Does no one think it's strange that calls stop coming in for 20 minutes on a busy weekend morning? Or that the phone itself is just sitting on the counter or a prep station? I'll be ordering from somewhere else from now on, even if I have to drive a little further...