The Starbucks of Chewy Mounds of Dough
Written: Feb 26 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A veritable heaven for bagel affictionados; still pretty good for everyone else.
Cons: If you set one foot inside this store, Dr. Atkins will personally kill you.
The Bottom Line: Einstein's is a lesson that hipness can be associated with even the lamest of food products. A trendy atmosphere meets decent food at a place worth a look or two.
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| sir_feep's Full Review: Einstein Bros. Bagels |
Einstein's is yet another chain to adopt the modern fast food philosophy: make a store with nice lighting, make sure every item on the menu has a hip-sounding name, and charge customers twice what they'd pay anywhere else. It's the strategy behind behemoths like Starbucks and Panera, and it seems that for this thriving bagel enterprise, it's working just as well.
For those unfamiliar with the place, Einstein's is a national restaurant chain with a menu revolving around soups, salads, sandwiches, baked goods, and of course, enough bagels to feed a small African country. They offer a compelling variety of foods that are inexpensive enough to enjoy casually, with enough variety to satisfy just about any taste -- provided it's a taste for, well, bagels.
Food
Einstein's offers a Brady Bunch equivalent of bagel varieties; they number a little more than 10, each having its own distinction, though they're all fundamentally the same. They have the usual choices that one would expect, including onion, poppy seed, egg, and let's not forget plain. They venture into more experimental territory with choices like Asiago Cheese and blueberry, though from my experience, they're both quite tasty. Their selection of cream cheeses is just as impressive, ranging from strawberry to chive to my personal favorite, cappucino.
As for the rest of the food (and there's quite a bit of it), the fare isn't much better than you'd get anywhere else, nor is it any cheaper -- but that certainly doesn't mean it's bad. The salads are above average, with several options, including Ceaser and Asian Chicken. The cold sandwiches are good, but certainly not memorable. The hot sandwiches are a little nicer, and with options like scrambled egg on a bagel, offer choices that are hard to find elsewhere. The baked goods, meanwhile, are really quite tasty, with a rotating selection of muffins, cinnamon buns, and my personal pick, enormous rice crispy treats.
Atmosphere
The average Einstein's has a homey decor with aforementioned nice lighting, with the intention, I imagine, of being nice enough for you actually want to sit down and eat a meal there. In this respect, they succeed rather well; I'll patronize any establishment with enough taste to avoid florescent bulbs.
Service
It's difficult to make a generalization about service for a national chain based on my experience at a single franchise, but if the employees at my place are any indication, workers at Einstein's are fast, efficient, and utterly charmless. My order will usually be recieved by a loud, impatient girl shouting towards my general direction, acknowledging my words with little more than a terse second shout to whoever is standing nearest the food. As a whole, they don't exactly embody "service with a smile," but then again, they can slice, toast, and have my bagel ready before I blink.
Overall
On the one hand, Einstein's shuns the cold, institutional feeling of other fast food chains that come to mind, with a nice, neighborhood-y feel instead. On the other, their bagels probably won't be as good as the actual neighborhood store that they put out of business when they come to your town. Still, with a wide variety of menu options to choose from, prices that are (quasi-)affordable, and a homey, convivial atmosphere, there are certainly worse places to go for a quick and convenient meal.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sir_feep
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
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