Bagel Emporium & Grille (Coral Gables)
***** Bagel Emporium & Grille, 1238 South Dixie Highway, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, (305) 666-9519.
If you are over the age of 1 1/2—you know exactly what this Monday-Sunday 7am-3pm bagel joint looks like and what’s on its menu.
For those 17 months or younger— booth and table seating, deli display cases, bagels & bialys in wired baskets…all kinds of bagels, breakfast stuff, deli meats, soups, salads, sandwiches, knishes, fish platters.
To confirm what you know, think you know, or don’t know…check www.thebagelemporium.com for menu/prices.
I’m gonna guess here…I’m figuring the joint has been around -at least 25 years and looks “today” just as it did when it first opened.
Let’s talk food…
Recently did breakfast with Mrs. Jeff Eats. I did a western omelette and she had a corned beef omelette. Real good stuff.
Also did a takeout order…Took home a mixed bagel-dozen—plain, everything, pumpernickel, onion, poppy. The guy(s) who own this joint makes dynamite bagels. Looks to me like they’re boiled and then baked. Jeff Eats has eaten his fair share of South Florida bagels, Bagel Emporium’s are right up there with best of breed. That takeout order also included, 1/2 lb tuna salad, 1/2 lb chicken salad, 1/2 whitefish salad, 1/2 egg salad. Like the omelettes-real good stuff.
Based on breakfast and that takeout order…I’m gonna bet, that the “rest” of Bagel Emporium’s stuff is also real good. I got a “good” feel for this one.
One final note, this morning at 10:45 am I called Bagel Emporium. The phone was “answered” by an automated system, that eventually put me through to a live young-lady…I told her that I was writing a FAVORABLE article about Bagel Emporium and wanted to know—1. How long the store had been in business? 2. How many did it seat? 3. Were the bagels first boiled and then baked?—As you can see, these were real-tough questions. She said she didn’t know, but said she would “get” someone who did know, she then disconnected me. I immediately called back, got the same young-lady and told her she had disconnected me and she said and I quote, “He said he’s too busy to talk to you. Call back later or tomorrow.” I said, “I’m writing a FAVAORABLE ARTICLE right now, are you sure he can’t take two seconds to talk to me?”—and she hung up.
Anyway, you now about Bagel Emporium & Grille.
Jeff,
HE is what we call a schmuck.
Even if HE was busy HE should have picked up the phone for a few seconds. Or HE should have had the girl take your name and number so HE could call you back. You’re doing him a favorand HE wants you to call him back. The guy is a FOOL.
Jeff, Ive eaten there many times. You are right the bagels are excellent same for the food.
Love the way a simple bagel store review takes on human foibles. Of course the owner or whoever should have spoken to you or gotten your number for a call back. Thats why he doesnt have 50 stores.
I attended the University of Miami in the mid 90s.
Bagel Emporium is right across the street from the campus.
I still live in the area and over the years have literally eaten there 100s of times.
Not sure exactly when but the original owners a few years ago sold to the current ones.
The bagels and food are still good but the new owners arent the smartest or best business people going. They got a good business because of the original family.
Not to have jumped on that phone is absurd.
Not to get your name is absurd.
To hang up on you, SCHMUCKS.
Correct link for website is http://www.thebagelemporium.com/
Jeff,
Been reading Jeff Eats for years. Over the years you’ve had aome homeruns and some real disasters. What I like about you is you call it as you see it and every so often throw in some controversy to get the readers’ juices going. Most recently you did that with Chik fil A, Table 42 and the Boca Burger Battle and now Bagel Emporium.
On this Bagel Emporium phone call, if I were you I wouldn’t have even bothered to write the review and if I did write the review just maybe it wouldn’t have been as favorable as the one that was going to be written.
You are definitely a straight shooter and that’s what makes Jeff Eats as popular as it is.
smittyroll:
Just had a chance to read your comments.
Bagel Emporium makes good stuff.
As for the “phone incident”— Either- I’m over-reacting or I’m right or Bagel Emporium’s owner couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what Jeff Eats thinks about his business.
I will tell you, delicious stuff or not, Jeff Eats won’t be back.
Thanks for reading…
What a dumb ass owner!!!!!!’
You think?
A guy calls you and he tells you that he is writing up your store and you tell him to get lost. Makes sense to me.
I was a former employee as a student at the U back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I can assure you the Bagels were boiled and baked back then and I know from the taste today the process hasn’t changed. The new owners bought a gold mine and are slowly diminishing that reputation, and your account of the “phone scenario” goes to prove they havent a marketing clue….
The owner sounds likes a moron.
What really gets me is that the first time you called the girl disconnected. There is definitely something very wrong with the owner.
Jeff
Good story about a really foolish business person.
I am a follower of Jeffeats.
I enjoy reading and enjoy Jeff’s unique approach.
I do not understand why you all, Jeff included, are bashing the owner for not dropping whatever he was doing to jump to the phone when his counter girl asked him to get on the phone with someone he obviously didn’t know……
Jeff said the food was delicious To me that is quite an accomplishment in such a competitive marketplace……..
That in itself would bring me back, not a favorable review from a blogger…
I’ve been a retailer my entire life..I have gotten so many calls that were nothing but a waste of time, I’m sure this owner has had the same experience.
I could understand Jeff not going back to a place with good food because of a nasty hostess or crappy service…But to not go back because an owner didn’t stop what he was doing to get on the phone with a blogger that he probably never heard of…thats ridiculous
Today I got an Email that says I won a Dell laptop I’m not sure now if I should ignore it!!!
Gary,
A smart businessman tells the girl “Get his name and number and I ‘ll call him back.”
If you read what Jeff wrote, the first time he called she disconnected him and the second time she hung up on him. Jeff also told her he was writing a favorable article about the store. Based on that and the owner’s failure to do the above I got to rate the owner a big time moron.
If the girl told the owner that a guy was on the phone who needed some info for an article about his restaurant, the owner was an absolute fool not to immediately gotten on with Jeff or at least had the girl gotten Jeff’s contact info. Because your food is good doesnt make you a smart businessman.
Gary:
Just had a chance to read your comments.
First things first, the first time I called the young lady DISCONNECTED ME.
The second time I called she told me that the owner said to call back later or tomorrow. DON’T YOU THINK she could have said “Give me your name and number and he’ll call you back.”? Well I do!
Now, assuming that the young lady relayed the message that I was writing a favorable story about the restaurant—don’t you think that the owner should have taken some type of “affirmative” action to talk to me? Well, I do!
A smart businessman would have done something to make sure that I had the information I needed,
Thanks for reading…
A guy calls and tells you that he is writing a nice article about your business and just needs a few seconds of your time for background information and you then hang up on him.
The owner is a loser plan and simple.
The man was told “jeffeats” was on the phone to ask some questions to add to a favorable review and he did not come running.
Did you ever think the young lady answering the phone and or the owner said to themselves “who the f–k is jeffeats? Well, I do!
Do you think the owner was right to continue conducting his business instead of taking a call from someone he probably never heard of? Well, I do!
Do you think a businessman should be more concerned with his operation rather than taking an unsolicited call from a food blogger he probably never heard of? Well, I do!
The right thing for Jeff to have done would have been to leave a business card with the young lady,tell her to have the owner check Jeff’s blog, and have her tell him that Jeffeats would like to write a favorable review and to please have the owner call Jeff ,if he is interested , so that he could give Jeff some details about his operation.
It’s called respect for the small business owner who doesn’t seem to have enough hours in his day!!
Wrong wrong wrong.
The owner should have gotten on the phone or at least told the girl to get Jeff’s number for a call back. The guy doing the solid shouldn’t have to chase the other guy down,
Hey Gary
You are treating this bagel guy like he is the president of the united states. For god sakes it’s a freaking bagel store. The guy makes tuna salad for a living.
All I know if a guy calls and says he is doing a story on my business I get on that phone as fast as I can and give him all of the info he needs.
You are amazing. This is a freaking bagel store believe me he could have handled the call and buttered that bagel all at the sme time.
Gary:
You couldn’t be more wrong.
The store closes at 3pm.
The owner has plenty of time in his “busy” day to get in touch with Jeff.
All I know is if I’m buttering a bagel and my worker tells me that some guy is on the phone and he is a writer and needs some info on the store for his article, I either stop buttering that bagel and get on that phone or I keep buttering and tell her to get the guy’s number and I’ll call him back. I dont tell her that I’m too busy to talk to him and that he should call me back. This owner sounds like a real dope. Here a guy wants to write you up and you just tell the guy to get lost.
Not a smart move.
I’ll bet you that more people read about this bagel joint on Jeff’s site in the past few days than ate there during the whole month of July.
The owner sounds like a jerk to me.
OWNER IS A DOPE!!!!!!
I have been going to the Bagel Emporium ever since I attended the University of Miami. They bagels and nova are the best. By Gregg L. Friedman MD, Psychiatrist, Hallandale Beach, FL
I vote that the owner is a bonifide moron.
Jeff,
I’m new to your site.
Just read this review and can’t believe what a dope the owner must be.
Owner is a major big time fool.
I vote that the owner is a total Moron!