West End Bagels — Restaurant in Town of Clifton Park

I am writing today because I am extremely disappointed with how far West End Bagels has declined over the last couple of years. I used to genuinely enjoy coming in, and it was a place I looked forward to visiting. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

The employees once had positive energy and treated customers with friendliness and respect. Now, most of them look miserable, lack basic manners, and rarely say “thank you” or “you’re welcome.” It’s disheartening to see how the environment has changed. When Amy was there, she always made the experience pleasant—I can’t say the same anymore.

The food quality has also gone downhill. Bagels used to have that perfect crunchy outside and soft inside; now they are no better than what you’d find at Price Chopper. Paying $2 for “extra bacon” has become a joke—more often than not, the order isn’t even read properly, and I have to point it out every single time. A full slice of bacon being cut in half and passed off as “two pieces” is unacceptable. On top of that, cross-contamination is rampant. I have bitten into sandwiches that contained items not listed in my order, simply because knives weren’t cleaned between uses. While I don’t have allergies, this carelessness will eventually cause serious issues for someone who does.

The space itself is another problem. The setup is inefficient for the amount of business you do, and it makes eating there unpleasant. It feels chaotic and cramped, with people practically on top of customers who are trying to enjoy their food.

What finally pushed me to write this email was today’s experience. I ordered two bagels, gave my name, and after 15 minutes the order was called. Instead of confirming it, the employee handed my order to someone else with the same first name. That person left with my food, and I was left waiting. After the staff slowly realized the mistake, I had to watch multiple people who ordered after me get their food while I waited another 25 minutes. Eventually, I had no choice but to ask for a refund. This is absolutely unacceptable.

It is clear to me that this location lacks proper management. West End Bagels has gone from being one of the best shops in the area to one of the worst I have experienced. You are making plenty of money, but the business is not being run with the care and attention it once had. Either management needs to step up and fix it, or ownership should consider selling to someone who actually cares.

Going forward, I will not be recommending West End Bagels to anyone. I will be encouraging people to go to Latham Bagel instead, as their product and customer care far exceed what West...

It was clear that this bagel shop was busy, and I only saw 3 employees working. It was ok though, long lines, no problem, actually added to the vibe that this was the place to be! There was an employee that absolutely lost it this morning around 9:45 am. She was on the phone loudly complaining about being understaffed, the unfairness of it, then after hanging up made threatening remarks - to the calm older gentleman cooking the bagels, that she’s about to walk out and lock the front door. He was incredible, telling her to take a breath. It’s BAGELS!!!! One at a time! There wasn’t a single customer complaining, everyone inside was cool as a cucumber - this woman lost her mind. Complaining about people taking personal days, and then being understaffed every day- yada yada yada. All within earshot of customers! I had enough when my two daughters started commenting on her, asking why she was acting this way. I explained about perceived stress, and emotions making situations appear bigger than they are. They asked to leave, as she was making them feel uncomfortable. A SIX AND EIGHT YEAR OLD FELT UNCOMFORTABLE because an employee couldn’t handle 15 people waiting for a bagel. To the owners - it’s clear you did need more staffing- your previous manager who left (I heard she may be at a hotel now or something) was INCREDIBLE, probably should have paid her more. To the worker that I think was a manager that was on her rant - life’s too short to get that stressed out about a line. One order at a time. The unprofessional and “tantrum” I’m going to go so far and say you demonstrated- was not ok.

We went to uncommon grounds and had a lovely breakfast. We will try again in a few weeks, but sheesh that was uncalled for...

Great bagels, if you can get them! I placed an order using GrubHub for a bakers dozen, cream cheese, and a couple wagels. An hour after ordering I was still standing in the store waiting. Another woman was there with a similar situation, but was only waiting 30 mins by that point. The place had been steady but I had ordered in advance and already paid so I think that should have priorized my order over the 10-12 new orders that walked in off the street. I wasn't out of sight, I was standing right in line making eye contact with half the staff who clearly saw me standing there for an extended period of time. Once the foot traffic stopped I had to ask about my order and they just started to bag it at that moment because I asked. By then they didn't have half the items in stock anymore. There was some back and forth about a refund or replacement items...by this point I'm over an hour in on this and refused to be patient any longer. I caved and said fine fill a bag with what you can, assuming they would follow the order and try to give me something I asked for. Instead 5 sesame bagels made it into a bag and I just walked out. I didn't swear or get loud, I was clearly frustrated and made that very known...but the staff wasn't surprised as they had been watching me and my daughter stand there for an hour. The bagels are great, just don't order ahead and don't try to be the understanding/patient customer....stay on them or you...