Bruegger Bruiser

We’re living in a rather bizarre age. We’re slowing moving from a time of super sizing everything to now super shrinking, cutting back, and so on. Ironically, though, the prices aren’t shrinking and they’re instead going up. Yes, that’s correct; we’re getting less and paying more. Are you feeling and hating it yet?

Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for getting rid of super sizing and of excessive gluttony (or is that redundant? Probably). We Americans do consume way too much and, because of it, we’re also one of the fattest nations in the world. One way or another, though, we’re paying for it. I do have a problem, however, when companies cut back on things to a bizarre standpoint, or they simply decide to both raise their prices while giving less.

One of the establishments that seems to be sticking it to consumers is Bruegger’s Bagel Company. One thing that I’ve always taken issue with in Minnesota is how the better business seems to fail while the lesser wins. A great example is how Einstein Bros. Bagel Company, of which I think, offers a superior product to Bruegger’s, has closed many of their Twin Cities locations, leaving only a handful of shops here and there. Why and how does this happen? It seems that Minnesotans are excessive creatures of habit and simply keep visiting the place they’ve always visited, regardless of actual product quality. This just doesn’t make any sense to me but I’ve learned to live with it on some level. In the meantime, though, we’re stuck with lesser quality.

Before I go any further, I need to call out “my” Bruegger’s, near my workplace, which is located on 2233 Energy Park Dr., Suite 100, in St. Paul. I need to draw a line and say that maybe…just maybe…all Bruegger’s aren’t completely terrible and perhaps it’s only this one. In any event, this particular Bruegger’s is beyond ridiculous and my experiences there have been close to infuriating.

First off, don’t ever order a coffee past 11am. If you do, it’ll be cold…and I mean cold, as in feeling like it’s right out of the refrigerator. This has happened to me twice so it wasn’t simply a fluke. Yeah, sure, I can take it back to work and heat it in the microwave but this is pretty much sacrilegious to any real coffee drinker. I’ve heard the argument that Bruegger’s only brews their coffee in the morning and then it’s kept warm in carafes throughout the day, and by afternoon it’s bound to be cold. If this is true, then why are they selling it? Can’t they at least warn the customer first? No, sorry, this just isn’t right on any level…unless, of course, you’re ordering iced coffee intentionally.

Even worse, I’ve ordered at least four bagels with cream cheese on four separate occasions. Each time, I take it back to the office, unwrap it, and find that there’s literally no cream cheese. Instead, it’s been spread on the bagel like a fine layer of butter. I’ve never seen this in my life from any bagel company. I mean, really?! Have you seen the pictures of bagels with cream cheese on the Bruegger’s website? Yeah, that’s a joke for us consumers, I think, so that we can only dream about actually tasting the cream cheese on the bagel. On one occasion, I actually thought they forgot to put the cream cheese on altogether, and that’s just how lightly it was spread on it. You literally needed a magnifying glass to see it.

And then there’s the price: $2.19 per bagel with cream cheese. Huh? What happened to the $1.59 price that I was accustomed to? How can you justify over two dollars for one lousy bagel with barely any visible cream cheese? I even questioned one of the coworkers on the price and the response I received was basically that it was a great price. Hmm.

Have you had a Brueggaccino, by any chance? I had a coupon for one once so I tried it. It was actually fairly tasty, well put together, refreshing, etc. I then ordered one awhile later and was asked, “Would you like regular or mocha?” I thought about it momentarily until I noticed that the “regular” one is $3.59, which is bad enough in my opinion for a non-coffee specialty shop, but the mocha, for the same size, was $4.09. Huh? And so, just last week I finally asked, “Why do you charge fifty cents more for the mocha?” The employee looked at me dumbfounded, couldn’t think of an answer, and then opted to get the manager. When he arrived, I had to ask my question again. The manager thought about it for a couple seconds and then said, “Well, it’s because I have to add chocolate to it.” He almost said it like it was a given, or like, “…duh…”.

Okay, now, correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the “regular” have flavor in it too? I mean, do you go to an ice cream shop and pay fifty cents more per scoop of chocolate ice cream versus vanilla, just because it has chocolate in it? This is the justification for an extra fifty cents? You’re kidding, right?! Call me crazy but I’m just not following the logic here and I can’t help but feel that Bruegger’s is assuming that all of their customers are total idiots and won’t notice or question it. And so, my question is this…does anyone actually ever order the mocha for fifty cents more, and if not, shouldn’t that be giving Bruegger’s the hint?! Maybe I’m alone on this, who knows.

As consumers, we need to start standing up for ourselves and not be pushed around by businesses. It’s time to simply take our business elsewhere. All I can say is bring back Einstein’s…at least their stores are cuter and more enjoyable, even if the prices aren’t. As for Bruegger’s, I think I’ll start purposefully driving 5-10 miles out of my way to a different establishment so that I can actually enjoy some cream cheese.