By: Mckella Oakley
With students returning for a new semester at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB), they were introduced to a new business opening. As they pass through the halls of the University Union, they are greeted by the colors of yellow and grey, along with two friendly bros on the logo of a large bagel, reading “Einstein Bros. Bagels.” The grand opening of Einstein Bros. Bagels occurred a month ago with the beginning of the new year, offering students, staff, and visitors a new kind of food and beverage option.
Einstein Bros. Bagels offers a variety of bagels, some that are even catered for lunch and dinner, like their Pizza Bagel. Customers can customize several types of bagels, spreads, and ingredients to their order. They can also purchase a wide variety of coffee drinks, smoothies, and shakes. Workers Hailey Wolkerstrofer and Kim Lagina state that the All-Nighter and the Farmhouse sandwiches have been the top favorites since the opening of the shop.
The front of the Einstein Bros. Bagels shop, as well as pick up cubbies for online mobile ordering. (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
Einstein Bros. Bagels main section of the business where customers come to order. (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
In addition to bagels, pastries, and drinks, the shop sells ready-to-grab items such as popular beverages like Bubbl’r, Celsius, sodas, as well as salads, sandwiches, and even sushi. The workers also mentioned that many people do not know that they can buy a whole or half a bag of bagels to eat right away or store in the freezer.
Display case options for grab and go items. Including Bubbl’r, Celsius, fruit, and smears. (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
Display cases of other grab and go items. Including various sodas, sandwiches, and sushi. (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
Customers can place orders in person, online through the mobile app, or at the kiosk located right outside the shop. Students can even use Phlash Cash through their meal plans or pay with a credit card. The shop is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.–9 a.m., and Saturdays/Sundays, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
Kiosk system to order without having to stand in line. (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
The previous business at this location was the Common Grounds Coffee House, a small branch of Starbucks Coffee. Matt Suwalski, the executive director of UWGB’s Union, says that students participated in selecting a new business with the help of Chartwells, the main food provider on campus. Feedback from campus requested a national franchise and Einstein Bagels was proposed as part of Chartwells proposal.
Some students were familiar with the Common Grounds Coffee House selling their favorite Starbucks Coffee and were surprised by the business leaving and Einstein Bros. Bagels replacing it. Vancamp is one of these students who misses the coffee shop saying, “I didn’t want to give it a chance, as I went into it being annoyed that they took the Coffee Shop away and made an Einstein Bagel.” Vancamp tried Einstein Bros. Bagels for the first time on opening day. She says, “The service was nice, I got my bagel pretty quick, and my bagel was pretty decent.” She noted that despite losing the coffee shop, the new space still maintains a cafe-like vibe and atmosphere.
The new bagel retains familiar elements from the previous setup, such as the various amounts of seating and table space for students to hang out, work on homework, or rest in between classes. It also features a cozy fireplace and live entertainment options like Open Mic Night. Wolkerstrofer, who has been employed at Einstein Bros. Bagels since its opening, shared that the team looks forward to the arrival of artwork created by UWGB students, which will be displayed on the walls to bring a cheerful element to the new space.
Seating areas to hang out or work. As well as the event space for entertainment to perform. (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
After speaking with UWGB students, there have been mixed reviews of the services and changes introduced by Einstein Bros. Bagels. Bagels. Vancamp was surprised to see how the new space changed, decreasing the open concept that was previously there. “My opinion on the space is that I dislike its usage, and it is very hard to get around,” Vancamp said. “I also found it to be very hard for the workers to get around, especially how they have the bar set up.” Lola McElhone, another UWGB student, stated that she thinks Einstein Bros. Bagels she is not satisfied with the food. McElhone says, “I don’t know why I keep going back, giving them more chances, but I do.”
Student Vancamp is also a resident mentor (RM), holding a position as an on-campus housing staff member. She has been listening to her fellow residents, and their expressions have been negative. One student mentioned being late to class due to a 20-minute delay in receiving their order. Others say the coffee is too sweet and bagels are not cooked through. Both McElhone and Vancamp also expressed that it depends on what you order because some items work, and others do not.
Despite some negative feedback, employee Lagina believes that customer reactions to the new business have been positive. “I think everybody loves what they are getting, I think the hardest part is the wait times because there are so many of them that come at the same time,” Lagina says. “With students traveling between classes at similar times and having few workers behind the scenes preparing orders, it is difficult to get everything out fast.” Lagina also expressed the need for more workers, especially because many of them are students who come in for short times, scattered in between classes.
“Overnighter Bagel”(Credit: Mckella Oakley)
Bagel and Latte from Einstein Bros. Bagel (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
Looking ahead, Einstein Bros. Bagels aims to improve service and continue to offer new opportunities for customers. Since the business is a full-fledged Einstein Bros. Bagels, workers have received extensive training. Lagina and Wolkerstrofer comment, “Since we are a full-fledged Einsteins, we have everything on the menu, and it is a lot more intense.” Before, the Common Grounds Coffee House was a branch of Starbucks, as one would see in Target. Lagina and Wolkerstrofer hope that in the future, the goals of Einstein Bros. Bagels are to have quicker service and create new opportunities for customers. Wolkerstrofer says, “We just started a thing called the secret drink, that we are going to try and stretch out every month, to add something fun and new.” Customers can be sure to look out for this new drink opportunity and the continued improvement of Einstein Bros. Bagels at UWGB. Hopefully changing the mixed impressions on campus.
Poster of their latest item opportunity of a Secret Drink (Credit: Mckella Oakley)
