Bruegger's Bagels — Restaurant in Winchester

Response to response: I did once use the 'contact us' page after visting an early-closed location. I never got a response. And it's something of lacking apology if it precedes a request for me to do more work to help you correct an issue already explained with specificity. And isn't Bruegger's franchised? Suggesting I message a corporate/national web manager is jjust you making it seem like you care.

Aside from their bagels being undersized and overpriced, I’ve generally had good experiences with Breugger’s. This location is not within the scope of “generally”. Several times I’ve driven there well before closing time posted online and on the store door, only to learn upon arriving that they inexplicably closed early. I once sent a message to customer service to ask if they could at least post the adjusted hours on the website to avoid customer inconveniences … I didn’t get a response. While checking out a few months ago I was being overcharged. I pointed out to the employee that the price on the board right above her head was more than a dollar cheaper. She brought over a manager, who first countered that the price had gone up. I explained that the posted price is what the customer pays. Only then did she check some book and revise her position to say it was a pricing error in the system. There was no apology or hint of accountability. Today I arrived 30 minutes before closing. As soon as I walked in I noticed that the only bagels left were cinnamon raisin. I did not want my sandwich on that bagel, so I stood at the counter for a minute to ask if they had anything else. The place was already dismantled for cleaning, so I had a little bit of hope that maybe other bagels were perhaps put aside. I counted at least 5 employees. 3 of them saw me standing at the counter and didn’t so much as pause their conversations amongst themselves. Only the one doing actual work (cleaning) stopped what she was doing to let me know they only had the cinnamon raisin bagels. I said “thanks anyways” and left. I can’t help but wonder - how does a bagel shop run out of bagels more than a half hour before closing??? Either they’re not making enough, or throwing/giving them away too early. Either way it’s poor management. My time has been wasted several times by the Winchester Bruegger’s. Sure, the bagels and sandwiches are tasty, but they’re overpriced, the employees aren’t friendly or attentive, and arriving anytime after 2 hours per-closing is a coin toss as to whether or not they’ll actually be open. From now on I’ll take the extra time to drive to Melrose or just get my breakfast...

i come to this brueggar's quite often, and they do often have issues getting the order right. more recently, i visited on september 24th in the morning to pick up bagels for my family and was treated rudely and received an order with multiple mistakes.

we ordered a half dozen bagels and 3 bagel sandwiches. after receiving the order, i found there were only 5 of the half dozen bagels we ordered. one of the five bagels was also a different flavor than what we had ordered. when i returned to receive the missing bagel, the woman who filled our order insisted that she got the order right and told us to leave. when we showed her that there were only 5 bagels, she said "fine, what do you want". i asked for a cinnamon raisin bagel and she handed me a plain bagel. when we got home, the bagel sandwiches were also made with incorrect ingredients.

i have worked in food service for much of my life, so i generally very patient and friendly with food service workers, however this employee was beyond rude. it is one thing to mess up an order, but it is another to accuse a customer of lying when you are the one at fault. and at the very least, be able to count to five.

the quality of the bagels is usually good. quite regularly, a batch of bagels will not have risen properly and be tough and gummy. i have excused regular mistakes from this brueggar's location for years, but this recent rude employee really made me look at all these issues over the years in a different light. ill be taking my...

This establishment should be a 5 Star experience given its location and the popularity of the brand. I used to come here at least twice a week but now it's maybe once a month.

Sadly, the final product seems to be inferior compared to other locations. I have come to expect better attention to detail from Brueggers. It also has an almost depressing atmosphere even when full of customers.

I think this largely stems from corporate decisions (the umbrella Corp is Panera) that ignore the nuance of our local market.

Removing all seating to become 100% takeout means I can't sit down to enjoy a lunch break so I go somewhere else instead.

Taking up a large picture window with a sign visible even to passing cars that says "Now Hiring", in a bedroom community full of professionals bothers me the most and for a few different reasons:

1- blocking so much natural sunlight from that dreary interior 2- makes the location seem understaffed which leads to questions of quality/speed of service 3- how many people behind that counter, not including high school students, actually live in Winchester? When was the last time a Winchester resident saw that sign and said, "I'll do that job!"

Speaking of the folks behind the counter, they are kind, helpful, and always greet you with a smile. I just wish they had more leadership and motivation.

UPDATE: The copy/paste Public Relations response below just emphasizes the corporate-driven vs customer-driven mentality that manages...