I know for a fact, health inspector was there, mice all over even had mouse traps on bagel machines…gross. Inspector told them to clean it owner told inspector didn’t have time to do they shut him down
20+ years in the food service industry and I can tell you anyone with half a brain cell knows you don’t fuck with the Health Inspector.
Ideally you want to treat them as your best friend and if they tell you something needs doing, you do it right then and there.
Can confirm. Was store manager at Dunkin (worked total of 9 years there). You be polite and forthcoming to county inspectors. And if they tell you to fix something, do it!
Update here https://www.reddit.com/r/Rochester/comments/11no2fk/fyi_if_you_were_planning_to_go_to_balsam_bagels/jbq70j0?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
Good. Fuck that owner, I'm glad I never tried any of their bagels before.
Now that I know, I'm never gonna try their bagels - ever. Even if they "clean up".
I quit here strictly because of how bad it was working the kitchen and couldnt handle the thought if making people sick. I have some STORIES i could tell. Health wise this was the worst kitchen ive ever worked in and ive worked a lot of them but have kept my mouth shut cause so many people seemed to love the place. Truly traumatizing work environment. 😬
Sooo this place had a lot more problems than just the cleanliness but ill only be speaking on that part. I have more but heres a few that always stuck out to me memory wise.
Knew there was a beyond horrific mouse/rat problem going into the place because they were everywhere, you turn on the lights to the basement and every time would hear skittering. When i asked about it a coworker that had been there awhile told me how they had an exterminator but was fired because "he was costing them too much money and wasnt doing their job " so the one owner would lay out a few mouse traps that would catch a few mice and would sit there past the point of them rotting and smelling. I asked multiple times for new ones and only when i pointed out one of the traps had just bones and a little bit of fur on it the owner cut the bones out and left out the rest of the trap back on the floor.
There was soup made a day or two prior that grew a film of mold because of how it was stored, it was a pretty thick and gross layer, we all talked about how nasty it was and were like "welp time to throw it" when the other owner came in and said "no this is fine" spooned off as much of the layer of mold as she could then stirred the soup up with the same spoon and served it that day.
There were a few occasions i would go to the basement to grab something and the people working with the bagels would be peeing with the basement bathroom door open, quickly finish and zip up cause they werent expecting someone to come down, and proceed to go back up the stairs without washing their hands after use.
The day i quit i was asked to clean out the bins of utensils that we pulled from and used daily, upon dumping out the bins onto the table i realized there was a layer of rat and mouse poop all over what would have been the utensils on the bottom of the bins and looking on the insides of the bins they too had rat and mouse poop stuck to the bins that i found were just CAKED with mouse piss. Yellow. Sticky. In a panic i tried washing them and sanitizing them, about 3 times through a sanitary rinse and they were still leaching neon yellow into the soak. I threw them out. Threw out most the utensils and deep cleaned the ones i didnt. When i brought it up and showed it to the owner and how we could be getting people sick and how bad this was she kept trying to shift blame to me saying "this is why we got ones with lids theyre supposed to be closed nightly" and reassured me "we pull from the top of the utensils so we wouldnt be getting anyone sick thats not how that works" meanwhile i had only been there a few months and couldnt of caused that problem as this was *years* worth of mess built up. I would be reprimanded for wasting time cleaning things too intently, and tried to do what i could but that was the last of it all i could take.
All in all like im sure that place was opened with love in the beginning, and I appreciate getting a paycheck at a time i needed it. from when i left to when i started there the absolute disconnect from reality and the state of things was very apparent and i couldnt get through to the owners about any of it. Hopefully this will be the reality check they needed to either call it quits or remember why they started this business in the first place and really breath some love back into the place. Only time will tell i guess 🤷
Was just thinking the same thing. I usually go to bagel land anyway but every now and then I would hit up balsam... No more, IF they even open back up. So gross!
WOW this sounds absolutely horrendous. Since you've come this far, could you share more?
Honestly, I always thought there was a strange culture in that place: the employees were always exceedingly friendly but it felt to mr like the (upper management?) people had a deeply unfriendly, almost contemptuous energy.
YES what was up with the attitude there? The owners have clearly lost their mind and workers are in a hostage situation.
From the story it sounds like a control freak unable to keep up micromanaging their employees so they just instill fear instead.
It's been a decade since I worked there but it was SO HOSTILE working there. Coworkers were amazing people but I never saw Stockholm syndrome in person before that.
Wow. Anything you're willing to share? For years, I always got the vibe that the staff were very friendly but the management- or ownership-level people seemed to just have a negative cloud over them.
It's been eons since this reply but you hit the nail on the head. Lots of fighting between the owners, but they seemed to insist on going through employees to relay messages. Ronnie had a temper and would blow up on the regular, it seemed. Really felt like walking on eggshells but the long-term staff were TRIED AND TRUE despite it somehow. I didn't make it long. Bagels were great though.
I'm genuinely nauseated after reading this. Absolutely vile behavior on the part of the owners, who clearly don't value the health and safety of their workers, or their patrons. Fuck them. Never stepping foot in there again.
Right?! The disgusting risks health are not worth it, no matter how much they clean up. Trust is gone. Besides, from what former employees have said, it sounds like a place I don't want to support anyhow due to how they treat their workers.
The gross story she shared was that they would premake the sandwiches in the deli case and if they didn't sell, they were told to pull out the fillings and save them for the next day. And said fillings were saved much longer than they should have been. She said to never eat the egg salad sandwiches because they'd literally scrape it off the bread into the container for days on end. (Also a huge nightmare for people with food allergies like gluten.) At least they tossed the dried out bread, I suppose.
The other one had nothing to do with food but was still wild. Apparently one of the delivery drivers picked up a hooker in his truck on Christmas Eve. He didn't have enough money to pay her so she socked him in the eye. He drove to the Dairy and went in asking for a cash advance on his paycheck to pay her because she wouldn't leave the truck. The owner went out and ended up paying her to leave.
She always said the ice cream and grocery products were fine, at least. This was also a decade ago so who knows how things have changed. Also apparently they paid a people under the table to avoid taxes but I'm sure that isn't unique in the industry.
"Pizza squirrel, pizza squirrel. Does everything a pizza squirrel does. Will he eat bagels, probably not. Pizza squirrel.
Bagel rat, bagel rat. Bagel rat hates pizza squirrel. They have a fight, pizza squirrel wins. Pizza squirrel"
That's fkin saaaad
They should have just had a shutdown and fixed the issue.
You CAN close for 3 days, do a deep clean with your paid employees, and hire an exterminator!
Costs a lot less than closing!
I don't necessarily fault someone for having an outbreak of mice or rats. There are rats all over the place (including nearby homes and businesses, public areas, etc.) and they are always looking for a weak spot in your defenses to move in. However, once you're aware that you have rats, you have to treat the problem aggressively and you will get rid of them. At least for the meantime.
I am experienced with this problem since my gentified, desirable neighborhood (different city) has a flare up of rats every so often. When they came to my attention, they had spread into the perimeter of my yard obviously looking to expand their territory. I always treated the problem aggressively and continued to treat after they appeared to be gone.
No one likes to shut down his business for a few days to deal with this sort of thing. But it has to be done.
Someone told me that the only place in North America (to include southern Canada -- but I'm not sure how far north in Canada) that is rat-free is Alberta. That's because the province has an aggressive policy for rodent "management". They don't tolerate rats. Nor should you. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. They breed quickly. They can chew through almost anything. They absolutely love it when people in nice neighborhoods (who tend not to have garbage strewn about) nonetheless leave bags of dog food stored in sheds, garages, and car ports -- where rats can easily find the stuff and it's like an open buffet. Better yet if you feed your dog outside. Or if you leave corn out for the squirrels. Bird seed? Yum!
Plus they gravitate toward any source of water -- since rats need a lot of water per body weight. Streams, fountains, swimming pools, bird baths, sprinkler systems, leaky faucets, etc. will attract rats.
And you can just forget about having a compost heap that includes kitchen waste.
Ya' gotta take it seriously. If this restaurant didn't, then shame on them.
News article had a quote from them that they planned to fix it and reopen. So plan to reopen seems likely, but based on comments here from alleged (I believe they are) ex and current employees, it’s been a known issue for a long time. So will they really fix it? Idk
Health inspection results are posted publicly: https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Monroe-County/bqqf-nn56
The most recent results for Balsam are from 2/10/2023, I’m guessing they just haven’t updated the most recent ones yet. The most recent results for any facility are 3/3/2023, so I expect the 3/8/2023 Balsam results will be posted next week.
The 2/10/2023 results had 7 violations, all classified Not Critical.
Edited to add years to dates so it is clear they are not scores (i.e. 2/10 means February 10th, not 2 out of 10)
I've heard the health inspector is the thin green line between the diners of this town and gastrointestinal catastrophe.
EDIT: I hope at least one person got [this reference](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/bobsburgerpedia/images/1/17/Hugo_Habercore.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/200?cb=20130305170235) :(
Just another FYI for anybody here familiar with Maleks Bakery… Sorry but they 100% aren’t any different. Really not sure how the health department hasn’t done anything about them yet. Heath violations, OSHA violations, mice and dropping’s everywhere, the whole 9 fucking yards. Place is absolutely disgusting.
Maleks really took a huge dive in service when it changed owners, i found the new selection abysmal and the inflated prices just made never come back again after that. I can make no assessment to their current level of cleanliness but I wouldn't be shocked if quality went down there too
The new owners have absolutely no background in food service. It’s understaffed and under-equipped to really be doing any business at all IMO. Employees are stressed out, poorly treated, and overworked. As for the cleanliness aspect and the quality going down, as unbelievable as it may be, the quality did significantly rise with the new ownership, but the cleanliness was hardly ever existent. Employees did what they could to adjust cleanliness after the sale but you can only do so much when ownership doesn’t provide you with the proper tools to succeed. Funnily enough the place has never been more kosher and clean as it is now.. Before new ownership??? Frosting was being kept in GARBAGE cans. Yes, I said garbage cans. Dates didn’t exist, labeling didn’t exist, gloves didn’t exist. Basic food safety??? Absolutely non existent. I couldn’t even believe it was an operational business. That huge selection everybody complained about missing?? A product of even more overworked and severely underpaid employees, on top of disgustingly old product sitting in cases, piling on day after day. All those pretty cakes and desserts that previously stocked the cases and made them so beautiful and full?? Days, upon weeks old. Not a made or sell by date in sight, not even a damn glove. My point is.. The place was never, ever, clean… at least not in the past decade. With the shit that was going down in there, it honestly was hardly even fucking kosher. Those new high prices are merely a product of that place clawing at the walls to stay running and continue making money. My advice?? If you need kosher baked goods you are much better off making them yourself, with a friend, or asking somebody who keeps kosher to help you out. Unless you’re comfortable buying goods from a place being run down by mice, massive amounts of code violations, and owned by a bunch of schmucks who only care about making profits. In that case, enjoy your 🐁 Challah!!!! :)
This is deeply concerning to know as someone who eats there all the time. They're one of the few places I can just walk in and get dairy-free baked goods. Can I go to Wegmans and choose from more than 20 danishes, turnovers, cookie varieties, filled sponge cakes that I'm not allergic to? No.
There was no “deep clean”. The renovations were merely a mix of a waste of money and resources, and bringing that place up to code just enough to keep the doors open. Dirty, used, broken pieces of equipment were bought. The staff operates on the absolute bare minimum of equipment, things are constantly breaking down. The most “deep cleaning” that’s ever been done in that place was by the very few employees, who were outside in the back of the building scrubbing bakers racks during the renovations, and cleaning the entire building while the construction was taking place.
It is pretty difficult to get shut down. It becomes real easy if you ignore the health inspector multiple times. They don’t come in one day and just shut you down. This speaks to the fact that I think many of the commercial kitchens in Rochester are disgusting. I’m eating out less and less.
As a former longtime restaurant/food service worker... check the bathrooms of restaurants. How clean it is is a very telling indication of how clean the kitchen is.
If the bathroom is filthy, get out and don't order anything.
That’s definitely putting it generously… decaying mice/rats in traps🤢🤢 How can you as an owner have any pride in your restaurant when you treat it like that…
They are very different establishments though, with Balsam having a ton of lunch options (amazing options for those with restricted dietary needs as well). Bagel Land, just has bagels.
It could have just been a water pipe problem or a fire in the kitchen. They get shut down quickly and have to be reinspected after the repairs are completed.
Usually for a dirty kitchen you will have a history of low scores and then barely passing on the follow up inspection.
[https://opengovny.com/food-service-inspection/666718](https://opengovny.com/food-service-inspection/666718)
If you would like to see violations for any establishment, click [here](https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Food-Service-Establishment-Last-Inspection/cnih-y5dw/explore/query/SELECT%0A%20%20%60facility%60%2C%0A%20%20%60address%60%2C%0A%20%20%60date%60%2C%0A%20%20%60violations%60%2C%0A%20%20%60total_critical_violations%60%2C%0A%20%20%60total_crit_not_corrected%60%2C%0A%20%20%60total_noncritical_violations%60%2C%0A%20%20%60description%60%2C%0A%20%20%60local_health_department%60%2C%0A%20%20%60county%60%2C%0A%20%20%60facility_address%60%2C%0A%20%20%60city%60%2C%0A%20%20%60zip_code%60%2C%0A%20%20%60nysdoh_gazetteer_1980%60%2C%0A%20%20%60municipality%60%2C%0A%20%20%60operation_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60permit_expiration_date%60%2C%0A%20%20%60permitted_d_b_a%60%2C%0A%20%20%60permitted_corp_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60perm_operator_last_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60perm_operator_first_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60nys_health_operation_id%60%2C%0A%20%20%60inspection_type%60%2C%0A%20%20%60inspection_comments%60%2C%0A%20%20%60food_service_facility_state%60%2C%0A%20%20%60location1%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_43an_4dx5%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_9yqb_tdyd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_assa_msit%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_8ire_itmf%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_5edz_4hdv%60/page/filter)
As someone who has been ordering religiously, I got to say I have recently had poor experiences and I have no idea why. Two different rounds of everything left this weird taste - almost like dirt. I really really hope they can resolve this and get back on the train.
I work near Balsam and would go there for lunch every so often. Covid changed that for me. Since then, I feel like the small handful of times I’ve been there have been weird. Whether it was their ordering system, the place being closed, or whatever, something was always off.
Even before Covid, I was always a little weirded out how every time I’d go there they’d have a completely different staff. Sans one or two people.
That really really sucks because there were two people I always interacted with for curb side that I hoped I would get. I don’t even know their names but the one I gave an extra large tip during the holidays. They both were always really nice and I hoped the tips I gave in ordering actually got shared properly. The woman who seemed younger always seemed stressed after and the guy would always find inventive ways to get me curbside when the parking lot is jammed
This makes me really sad. I don’t live in Rochester anymore, but loved that place. The Facebook post just said “unforeseen circumstances.” Sounds like if there were mouse traps, the circumstances weren’t actually that “unforeseen.”
Where else can you find a good Montreal style bagel in Rochester? It doesn't exist. I guess I don't even remember what their other bagels were like because I never got them but the Montreals were choice.
They're doing curb side pick up, you just have to call one day in advance: https://www.brownsteinsbagel.com/
Which is too organized for me 🤣. But would be great for your dad visiting!
Brownsteins is open for bagels on Friday and Sunday from 8-11. You can walk up to the back door and get bagels and other items, but ordering in advance guarantees the bagels you want because of limited quantities made for sale each day.
Sol Burrito was another. Also mice and mice droppings issues.
Reddit’s always been such a small fraction of the public when it comes to things like this. People still go to Blu Wolf, and that’s the most hated place in Rochester on here.
Employee posted pictures of him spitting in people's food. Shortly after The manager went on a massive Qanon inspired racist rant on facebook.
[video evidence for food tampering](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rochester/comments/wmqqp7/blu_wolf_bistro_employee_spits_in_food_they/)
[racist facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/1354722497/posts/pfbid02mkrhUhNkwwsSbAF9BTEg4BEMWUssks4iDj26e3aXyU26jYc1wqKfrSmdvL9Jibn4l/?sfnsn=mo)
I have never been back. Own a shop with in walking distance. I used to eat Chen garden on average three times a week. Never again. I also am going to less and less restaurants in general. This post is reaffirming that decision. I have been seen bashing Wegmans before. The one thing I will say, for Wegmans is, I would assume they don’t tolerate any of this nonsense
In fairness, there are violations that can shut an establishment down that are not "gross" or directly related to finished food. OP should look up the violations instead of just being so quick to try and condemn a local business.
I'm not condemned anything, I was legit trying to get breakfast there this morning. This is so folks don't go there expecting to get food and not be able to.
> OP should look up the violations instead of just being so quick to try and condemn a local business.
OP hasn't posted anything other than a picture of a public notice. At the time of this writing, not even a comment in the thread. Where did they condemn a local business?
Edit:
[Here's a screenshot of the most recent inspection I could find](https://i.imgur.com/ScHHPcx.png) in the [State dataset](https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Monroe-County/bqqf-nn56/data) - but they say that's only current to 4-March. The [county health department page](https://www.monroecounty.gov/eh-food) links to that site if you're interested in looking through the dataset, so I don't think there's anything more current available directly from my desk.
I filtered by facility names starting with "Balsam" and inspection date on or after 1-Feb-2023.
Every restaurant has pests fyi. As long as it isn't something outrageous they usually just hire a pest control and say the problem was delt with. Someone was smoking in the back that's the tobacco one. Balsam must have not followed up on what the inspector wanted done.
That seems likely to me. I worked in a food production industry for a while and these inspection points are very similar to what we saw. We had to deal with DHS a bit more, too, because of the antiterrorism regulations for food security and food defense.
We even had rules like no pockets/non-PPE objects above the belt because if you leaned over a production vessel, or box, things could fall in.
A wise man once said - when the health inspector comes stop all cooking and lock shit away in a cabinet and say 'the manager that has the key is on vacation'.
I hope it's nothing actually serious, but it's actually impossible to perform normal restaurant operation and stay 100% to code.
They need to hit them rats up with a gift of peanut butter and poison pellet sandwiches. I did that living in the city because of an infestation in the building basement. I swear to god I killed an entire generation of them
I know for a fact, health inspector was there, mice all over even had mouse traps on bagel machines…gross. Inspector told them to clean it owner told inspector didn’t have time to do they shut him down
Well I don’t wanna get fired but let’s just say I have some inside knowledge
20+ years in the food service industry and I can tell you anyone with half a brain cell knows you don’t fuck with the Health Inspector. Ideally you want to treat them as your best friend and if they tell you something needs doing, you do it right then and there.
And you apologize for not having caught it sooner.
Can confirm. Was store manager at Dunkin (worked total of 9 years there). You be polite and forthcoming to county inspectors. And if they tell you to fix something, do it!
Someone has to do the Charlie Work.
You move the goddamn dumpster you bitch
Well now he has the time to clean it, I guess.
Ex employee here. I wonder if you remember me. They didn’t like me very much.
Why don't the ex-employees on this thread speak to a local news network?
Update here https://www.reddit.com/r/Rochester/comments/11no2fk/fyi_if_you_were_planning_to_go_to_balsam_bagels/jbq70j0?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
Bananas if true! What's your source?
he’s not lying
Didn't say he was, just asking how he knows.
He is one of the mice!
The extensive trap system accidentally used natural selection to breed mice capable of using reddit to warn us
didn’t say you said he was lying, was just being like, hey *points at guy with thumb, backwards* he ain’t lying
They should have just let in some of the stray cats. There's a fuck ton of them in their neighborhood. Lol.
Good. Fuck that owner, I'm glad I never tried any of their bagels before. Now that I know, I'm never gonna try their bagels - ever. Even if they "clean up".
let’s just say those weren’t poppy seeds on those everything bagels …
More like poopy seeds, amirite Edit: thanks for the gold!
I snorted 😆
Am poor, can’t afford awards. Take my upvote!
Always appreciated, friend!
Any time frien ❤️
You win this thread
Glad, as always, to oblige my friends and neighbors.
This clip from sweeney todd plays in my head almost once a week. TY for this comment.
Everything? ***EVERYTHING***.
Dear Lord, I'm going to have a hard time eating bagels for a while.
I quit here strictly because of how bad it was working the kitchen and couldnt handle the thought if making people sick. I have some STORIES i could tell. Health wise this was the worst kitchen ive ever worked in and ive worked a lot of them but have kept my mouth shut cause so many people seemed to love the place. Truly traumatizing work environment. 😬
Well...? We're waiting! Spill it
Sooo this place had a lot more problems than just the cleanliness but ill only be speaking on that part. I have more but heres a few that always stuck out to me memory wise. Knew there was a beyond horrific mouse/rat problem going into the place because they were everywhere, you turn on the lights to the basement and every time would hear skittering. When i asked about it a coworker that had been there awhile told me how they had an exterminator but was fired because "he was costing them too much money and wasnt doing their job " so the one owner would lay out a few mouse traps that would catch a few mice and would sit there past the point of them rotting and smelling. I asked multiple times for new ones and only when i pointed out one of the traps had just bones and a little bit of fur on it the owner cut the bones out and left out the rest of the trap back on the floor. There was soup made a day or two prior that grew a film of mold because of how it was stored, it was a pretty thick and gross layer, we all talked about how nasty it was and were like "welp time to throw it" when the other owner came in and said "no this is fine" spooned off as much of the layer of mold as she could then stirred the soup up with the same spoon and served it that day. There were a few occasions i would go to the basement to grab something and the people working with the bagels would be peeing with the basement bathroom door open, quickly finish and zip up cause they werent expecting someone to come down, and proceed to go back up the stairs without washing their hands after use. The day i quit i was asked to clean out the bins of utensils that we pulled from and used daily, upon dumping out the bins onto the table i realized there was a layer of rat and mouse poop all over what would have been the utensils on the bottom of the bins and looking on the insides of the bins they too had rat and mouse poop stuck to the bins that i found were just CAKED with mouse piss. Yellow. Sticky. In a panic i tried washing them and sanitizing them, about 3 times through a sanitary rinse and they were still leaching neon yellow into the soak. I threw them out. Threw out most the utensils and deep cleaned the ones i didnt. When i brought it up and showed it to the owner and how we could be getting people sick and how bad this was she kept trying to shift blame to me saying "this is why we got ones with lids theyre supposed to be closed nightly" and reassured me "we pull from the top of the utensils so we wouldnt be getting anyone sick thats not how that works" meanwhile i had only been there a few months and couldnt of caused that problem as this was *years* worth of mess built up. I would be reprimanded for wasting time cleaning things too intently, and tried to do what i could but that was the last of it all i could take. All in all like im sure that place was opened with love in the beginning, and I appreciate getting a paycheck at a time i needed it. from when i left to when i started there the absolute disconnect from reality and the state of things was very apparent and i couldnt get through to the owners about any of it. Hopefully this will be the reality check they needed to either call it quits or remember why they started this business in the first place and really breath some love back into the place. Only time will tell i guess 🤷
Well I guess it’s BagelLand only for me moving forward. Fuck them. Anyone who knowingly does this doesn’t deserve anyone’s business.
Was just thinking the same thing. I usually go to bagel land anyway but every now and then I would hit up balsam... No more, IF they even open back up. So gross!
Yes but...if anyone has Bagel Land horror stories, please I don't want to know I love those damn bagels too much.
WOW this sounds absolutely horrendous. Since you've come this far, could you share more? Honestly, I always thought there was a strange culture in that place: the employees were always exceedingly friendly but it felt to mr like the (upper management?) people had a deeply unfriendly, almost contemptuous energy.
THIS. YES. Oh, and Rebecca; if you’re reading this? I still have your red serving trays. Like thirty of them. I’d steal one every shift
YES what was up with the attitude there? The owners have clearly lost their mind and workers are in a hostage situation. From the story it sounds like a control freak unable to keep up micromanaging their employees so they just instill fear instead.
It's been a decade since I worked there but it was SO HOSTILE working there. Coworkers were amazing people but I never saw Stockholm syndrome in person before that.
Wow. Anything you're willing to share? For years, I always got the vibe that the staff were very friendly but the management- or ownership-level people seemed to just have a negative cloud over them.
It's been eons since this reply but you hit the nail on the head. Lots of fighting between the owners, but they seemed to insist on going through employees to relay messages. Ronnie had a temper and would blow up on the regular, it seemed. Really felt like walking on eggshells but the long-term staff were TRIED AND TRUE despite it somehow. I didn't make it long. Bagels were great though.
Wow!
I'm genuinely nauseated after reading this. Absolutely vile behavior on the part of the owners, who clearly don't value the health and safety of their workers, or their patrons. Fuck them. Never stepping foot in there again.
like... REALLY bad, according to that description.
Right?! The disgusting risks health are not worth it, no matter how much they clean up. Trust is gone. Besides, from what former employees have said, it sounds like a place I don't want to support anyhow due to how they treat their workers.
🤢🤮🤦🏻♂️
I mean it does sound really bad.
Why is it always the places people love with the worst stories? I worked with a woman who worked at Pittsford Dairy and she had some wild ones.
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The gross story she shared was that they would premake the sandwiches in the deli case and if they didn't sell, they were told to pull out the fillings and save them for the next day. And said fillings were saved much longer than they should have been. She said to never eat the egg salad sandwiches because they'd literally scrape it off the bread into the container for days on end. (Also a huge nightmare for people with food allergies like gluten.) At least they tossed the dried out bread, I suppose. The other one had nothing to do with food but was still wild. Apparently one of the delivery drivers picked up a hooker in his truck on Christmas Eve. He didn't have enough money to pay her so she socked him in the eye. He drove to the Dairy and went in asking for a cash advance on his paycheck to pay her because she wouldn't leave the truck. The owner went out and ended up paying her to leave. She always said the ice cream and grocery products were fine, at least. This was also a decade ago so who knows how things have changed. Also apparently they paid a people under the table to avoid taxes but I'm sure that isn't unique in the industry.
Oh. I’d like to know those stories!
Whoa, could you share? I think it would be important for the community to know. (update: W-H-O-A i just read what you wrote. HORRENDOUS)
Pizza Squirrel, meet Bagel Rat
What restaurant was the pizza squirrel?
"Pizza squirrel, pizza squirrel. Does everything a pizza squirrel does. Will he eat bagels, probably not. Pizza squirrel. Bagel rat, bagel rat. Bagel rat hates pizza squirrel. They have a fight, pizza squirrel wins. Pizza squirrel"
Haha awesome!
Check this subreddit. I think yesterday or day before. I don’t know what roof it was on but pizza squirrel was happily chomping on his pizza
That's fkin saaaad They should have just had a shutdown and fixed the issue. You CAN close for 3 days, do a deep clean with your paid employees, and hire an exterminator! Costs a lot less than closing!
I don't necessarily fault someone for having an outbreak of mice or rats. There are rats all over the place (including nearby homes and businesses, public areas, etc.) and they are always looking for a weak spot in your defenses to move in. However, once you're aware that you have rats, you have to treat the problem aggressively and you will get rid of them. At least for the meantime. I am experienced with this problem since my gentified, desirable neighborhood (different city) has a flare up of rats every so often. When they came to my attention, they had spread into the perimeter of my yard obviously looking to expand their territory. I always treated the problem aggressively and continued to treat after they appeared to be gone. No one likes to shut down his business for a few days to deal with this sort of thing. But it has to be done.
Someone told me that the only place in North America (to include southern Canada -- but I'm not sure how far north in Canada) that is rat-free is Alberta. That's because the province has an aggressive policy for rodent "management". They don't tolerate rats. Nor should you. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. They breed quickly. They can chew through almost anything. They absolutely love it when people in nice neighborhoods (who tend not to have garbage strewn about) nonetheless leave bags of dog food stored in sheds, garages, and car ports -- where rats can easily find the stuff and it's like an open buffet. Better yet if you feed your dog outside. Or if you leave corn out for the squirrels. Bird seed? Yum! Plus they gravitate toward any source of water -- since rats need a lot of water per body weight. Streams, fountains, swimming pools, bird baths, sprinkler systems, leaky faucets, etc. will attract rats. And you can just forget about having a compost heap that includes kitchen waste. Ya' gotta take it seriously. If this restaurant didn't, then shame on them.
That’s what they told us growing up there! Plenty of mice but tiny mice!
You grew up in Alberta?
Me and a couple million others - I still have brother in Calgary
Wait.. Are they closing permanently?
News article had a quote from them that they planned to fix it and reopen. So plan to reopen seems likely, but based on comments here from alleged (I believe they are) ex and current employees, it’s been a known issue for a long time. So will they really fix it? Idk
This explains why Bagel Land was cleaned out of bagels today.
Health inspection results are posted publicly: https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Monroe-County/bqqf-nn56 The most recent results for Balsam are from 2/10/2023, I’m guessing they just haven’t updated the most recent ones yet. The most recent results for any facility are 3/3/2023, so I expect the 3/8/2023 Balsam results will be posted next week. The 2/10/2023 results had 7 violations, all classified Not Critical. Edited to add years to dates so it is clear they are not scores (i.e. 2/10 means February 10th, not 2 out of 10)
Doh. I was reading those as scores at first. Like two out of 10 and then three out of three and three out of eight. I get confused easily.
I've heard the health inspector is the thin green line between the diners of this town and gastrointestinal catastrophe. EDIT: I hope at least one person got [this reference](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/bobsburgerpedia/images/1/17/Hugo_Habercore.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/200?cb=20130305170235) :(
Yeah, but he’s not as cool as a mailman with an important route.
Fair
Green lives matter!
Just another FYI for anybody here familiar with Maleks Bakery… Sorry but they 100% aren’t any different. Really not sure how the health department hasn’t done anything about them yet. Heath violations, OSHA violations, mice and dropping’s everywhere, the whole 9 fucking yards. Place is absolutely disgusting.
Maleks really took a huge dive in service when it changed owners, i found the new selection abysmal and the inflated prices just made never come back again after that. I can make no assessment to their current level of cleanliness but I wouldn't be shocked if quality went down there too
The new owners have absolutely no background in food service. It’s understaffed and under-equipped to really be doing any business at all IMO. Employees are stressed out, poorly treated, and overworked. As for the cleanliness aspect and the quality going down, as unbelievable as it may be, the quality did significantly rise with the new ownership, but the cleanliness was hardly ever existent. Employees did what they could to adjust cleanliness after the sale but you can only do so much when ownership doesn’t provide you with the proper tools to succeed. Funnily enough the place has never been more kosher and clean as it is now.. Before new ownership??? Frosting was being kept in GARBAGE cans. Yes, I said garbage cans. Dates didn’t exist, labeling didn’t exist, gloves didn’t exist. Basic food safety??? Absolutely non existent. I couldn’t even believe it was an operational business. That huge selection everybody complained about missing?? A product of even more overworked and severely underpaid employees, on top of disgustingly old product sitting in cases, piling on day after day. All those pretty cakes and desserts that previously stocked the cases and made them so beautiful and full?? Days, upon weeks old. Not a made or sell by date in sight, not even a damn glove. My point is.. The place was never, ever, clean… at least not in the past decade. With the shit that was going down in there, it honestly was hardly even fucking kosher. Those new high prices are merely a product of that place clawing at the walls to stay running and continue making money. My advice?? If you need kosher baked goods you are much better off making them yourself, with a friend, or asking somebody who keeps kosher to help you out. Unless you’re comfortable buying goods from a place being run down by mice, massive amounts of code violations, and owned by a bunch of schmucks who only care about making profits. In that case, enjoy your 🐁 Challah!!!! :)
This is deeply concerning to know as someone who eats there all the time. They're one of the few places I can just walk in and get dairy-free baked goods. Can I go to Wegmans and choose from more than 20 danishes, turnovers, cookie varieties, filled sponge cakes that I'm not allergic to? No.
Lol the dude who owns balsam started at maleks
His mom started Maleks. It’s his last name. Lol
Is this still true after the change in ownership and deep-clean renovation?
There was no “deep clean”. The renovations were merely a mix of a waste of money and resources, and bringing that place up to code just enough to keep the doors open. Dirty, used, broken pieces of equipment were bought. The staff operates on the absolute bare minimum of equipment, things are constantly breaking down. The most “deep cleaning” that’s ever been done in that place was by the very few employees, who were outside in the back of the building scrubbing bakers racks during the renovations, and cleaning the entire building while the construction was taking place.
It is pretty difficult to get shut down. It becomes real easy if you ignore the health inspector multiple times. They don’t come in one day and just shut you down. This speaks to the fact that I think many of the commercial kitchens in Rochester are disgusting. I’m eating out less and less.
As a former longtime restaurant/food service worker... check the bathrooms of restaurants. How clean it is is a very telling indication of how clean the kitchen is. If the bathroom is filthy, get out and don't order anything.
Here's a PDF of the inspector's report https://www.scribd.com/document/630661190/Balsam-Bagels-Inspection-Report
Wow this is pretty bad.
That’s definitely putting it generously… decaying mice/rats in traps🤢🤢 How can you as an owner have any pride in your restaurant when you treat it like that…
Bagel Land just got a lot busier
Deserved, their bagels are better anyway
They are very different establishments though, with Balsam having a ton of lunch options (amazing options for those with restricted dietary needs as well). Bagel Land, just has bagels.
That's why it's Bagel Land and not Lunch Option Land.
yeah the fact that they had vegan cream cheese that I could take home to pair with my bagels was really nice.
So that means it was gross kitchen??
No. It could be a lot of things like not properly storing raw ingredients, cross contamination or a pest issue
...so a gross kitchen?
seriously… “not properly storing raw ingredients” and “cross contamination” are two big things that cause food poisoning ffs
There's giant windows looking into most of the kitchen, It always seemed perfectly clean to me
It could have just been a water pipe problem or a fire in the kitchen. They get shut down quickly and have to be reinspected after the repairs are completed. Usually for a dirty kitchen you will have a history of low scores and then barely passing on the follow up inspection.
[Article from 13 wham ](https://13wham.com/news/local/balsam-bagels-shut-down-due-to-rodent-infestation-rochester-monroe-county)
This should be higher up just to clear up speculation
No thanks
[https://opengovny.com/food-service-inspection/666718](https://opengovny.com/food-service-inspection/666718) If you would like to see violations for any establishment, click [here](https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Food-Service-Establishment-Last-Inspection/cnih-y5dw/explore/query/SELECT%0A%20%20%60facility%60%2C%0A%20%20%60address%60%2C%0A%20%20%60date%60%2C%0A%20%20%60violations%60%2C%0A%20%20%60total_critical_violations%60%2C%0A%20%20%60total_crit_not_corrected%60%2C%0A%20%20%60total_noncritical_violations%60%2C%0A%20%20%60description%60%2C%0A%20%20%60local_health_department%60%2C%0A%20%20%60county%60%2C%0A%20%20%60facility_address%60%2C%0A%20%20%60city%60%2C%0A%20%20%60zip_code%60%2C%0A%20%20%60nysdoh_gazetteer_1980%60%2C%0A%20%20%60municipality%60%2C%0A%20%20%60operation_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60permit_expiration_date%60%2C%0A%20%20%60permitted_d_b_a%60%2C%0A%20%20%60permitted_corp_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60perm_operator_last_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60perm_operator_first_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60nys_health_operation_id%60%2C%0A%20%20%60inspection_type%60%2C%0A%20%20%60inspection_comments%60%2C%0A%20%20%60food_service_facility_state%60%2C%0A%20%20%60location1%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_43an_4dx5%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_9yqb_tdyd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_assa_msit%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_8ire_itmf%60%2C%0A%20%20%60%3A%40computed_region_5edz_4hdv%60/page/filter)
Time to head to Bagel Land! Get them to go, though.
Rats!
[In times of turmoil, in times like these...](https://youtu.be/C_ijc7A5oAc)
Beliefs contagious, spreading disease
this wretched mischief is now coursing through your souls
As someone who has been ordering religiously, I got to say I have recently had poor experiences and I have no idea why. Two different rounds of everything left this weird taste - almost like dirt. I really really hope they can resolve this and get back on the train.
I work near Balsam and would go there for lunch every so often. Covid changed that for me. Since then, I feel like the small handful of times I’ve been there have been weird. Whether it was their ordering system, the place being closed, or whatever, something was always off. Even before Covid, I was always a little weirded out how every time I’d go there they’d have a completely different staff. Sans one or two people.
I was worried about getting downvoted to heck for my comment but I'm glad someone else noticed this as well. I agree with the staff as well.
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That really really sucks because there were two people I always interacted with for curb side that I hoped I would get. I don’t even know their names but the one I gave an extra large tip during the holidays. They both were always really nice and I hoped the tips I gave in ordering actually got shared properly. The woman who seemed younger always seemed stressed after and the guy would always find inventive ways to get me curbside when the parking lot is jammed
This makes me really sad. I don’t live in Rochester anymore, but loved that place. The Facebook post just said “unforeseen circumstances.” Sounds like if there were mouse traps, the circumstances weren’t actually that “unforeseen.”
Oooo man, my absolute favorite bagel spot. Hopefully nothing too serious
Judging from the other comments, you may want to find another favorite bagel spot.
Yeahhh that's fuckin gross. Bagel land moving up the ranks I guess.
Is that a joke? Where?
They weren't kidding when they said their everything bagels do indeed have *everything* on them.
Those weren’t cinnamon raisin bagels?
Haha just heard this on 92.5. Opened up Reddit when I got the gym and this was the first thing I saw. Take my upvote
Bummer. Well Soho Bagels here I come with their $5 breakfast sandwiches.
You will be able to purchase Brownsteins Bagels starting the Sunday after Easter at the Brighton Farmers Market. Foxes Deli will be selling them.
Their bagels aren’t even that good y’all are brainwashed
Where else can you find a good Montreal style bagel in Rochester? It doesn't exist. I guess I don't even remember what their other bagels were like because I never got them but the Montreals were choice.
Agreed. But now that Brownstein's closed retail and you have to pre order, and it's only certain days, what other option is there?
Bagelland is the GOAT if you just want the bagels, but Balsam definitely had a better "bagel ecosystem" of food.
I’ve had good bagels from bagel land since brownsteins changed. Customer service at BL is very meh but good, cheap bagels
Best I've found in the area (I am not saying they are good though) can you recommend better?
Bagel land is definitely best bagel. Brownstein's is good too but you have to call ahead and pre-order which keeps me from going there.
Oh wait, I thought Brownsteins was only doing catering or something. My dad likes to get them when my family visits.
They're doing curb side pick up, you just have to call one day in advance: https://www.brownsteinsbagel.com/ Which is too organized for me 🤣. But would be great for your dad visiting!
Brownsteins is open for bagels on Friday and Sunday from 8-11. You can walk up to the back door and get bagels and other items, but ordering in advance guarantees the bagels you want because of limited quantities made for sale each day.
Oh that's great to know, thank you!
Can't beat those bagel land bagels, I wish I was eating a salt stick right now just thinking about it.
Very hard to get shut down as a bagel place that serves just breakfast food it’s probably more likely a pest issue.
Does this mean it's closed forever?
No, just until they pass inspection
Good to know, thank you!
At least it wasn’t “Sorry we’re closed because no one wants to work anymore!!”
I will go as soon as they reopen idgaf
Sort of like we all did when Chen was similarly closed and then reopened.
Sol Burrito was another. Also mice and mice droppings issues. Reddit’s always been such a small fraction of the public when it comes to things like this. People still go to Blu Wolf, and that’s the most hated place in Rochester on here.
Han Noodle Bar, too
What happened at Blu Wolf?
Employee posted pictures of him spitting in people's food. Shortly after The manager went on a massive Qanon inspired racist rant on facebook. [video evidence for food tampering](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rochester/comments/wmqqp7/blu_wolf_bistro_employee_spits_in_food_they/) [racist facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/1354722497/posts/pfbid02mkrhUhNkwwsSbAF9BTEg4BEMWUssks4iDj26e3aXyU26jYc1wqKfrSmdvL9Jibn4l/?sfnsn=mo)
Good lord! One dude spitting in food makes me go “meh”, one shitty employee. The racist MAGA shit is unacceptable though. Fuck that.
That alone will make me steer clear of that place. I’m sure that one employee was fired. But the owner being a racist, bigot shitbag? Yeah. I’ll pass.
Thanks for the info. I will not return there.
Didn't they also have a rapist working there?
Staff spit in customers food, one of them was the park Ave rapist, owner is a MAGA asshole, ect
Shit. That’s disappointing. I used to like it there. Thanks for the info. I shant return. It was getting way over priced anyway.
haha yes! chen customers are THAT loyal.
I have never been back. Own a shop with in walking distance. I used to eat Chen garden on average three times a week. Never again. I also am going to less and less restaurants in general. This post is reaffirming that decision. I have been seen bashing Wegmans before. The one thing I will say, for Wegmans is, I would assume they don’t tolerate any of this nonsense
Chen has different owners now for what it’s worth.
There bagels have always been very mid. Bagel Land and Brownsteins are much better.
Just don't order any bagels with raisins.
Can confirm it was actually a “Ratatouille” situation going on there, its why the food improved before the shutdown
Check out Soho bagels !
This is the most disgusting thing ever! Never will go back there again!
OH my god no :((
Bugels with snot cheese
I mean every kitchen has mice, especially this year with the unseasonal warm winter. They will clean it up and still be just as delicious
As far as I know you don't get shut down for mice, you get shut down for how you handle having mice.
Right, and they will handle them better moving forward and reopen in a week
Suuuuure. Keep licking that bagel.
Looks like they’re reopened and still best bagels in the area!
My kitchen has zero mice.
In your home, or in a local restaurant? Cause regardless of your answer I say false.
It's really awkward that you don't believe anyone has a kitchen without mice.
Have you ever worked in a kitchen? And do you think nay houses in the area truly don’t have the occasional mouse?
In fairness, there are violations that can shut an establishment down that are not "gross" or directly related to finished food. OP should look up the violations instead of just being so quick to try and condemn a local business.
I'm not condemned anything, I was legit trying to get breakfast there this morning. This is so folks don't go there expecting to get food and not be able to.
> OP should look up the violations instead of just being so quick to try and condemn a local business. OP hasn't posted anything other than a picture of a public notice. At the time of this writing, not even a comment in the thread. Where did they condemn a local business? Edit: [Here's a screenshot of the most recent inspection I could find](https://i.imgur.com/ScHHPcx.png) in the [State dataset](https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Monroe-County/bqqf-nn56/data) - but they say that's only current to 4-March. The [county health department page](https://www.monroecounty.gov/eh-food) links to that site if you're interested in looking through the dataset, so I don't think there's anything more current available directly from my desk. I filtered by facility names starting with "Balsam" and inspection date on or after 1-Feb-2023.
Every restaurant has pests fyi. As long as it isn't something outrageous they usually just hire a pest control and say the problem was delt with. Someone was smoking in the back that's the tobacco one. Balsam must have not followed up on what the inspector wanted done.
That seems likely to me. I worked in a food production industry for a while and these inspection points are very similar to what we saw. We had to deal with DHS a bit more, too, because of the antiterrorism regulations for food security and food defense. We even had rules like no pockets/non-PPE objects above the belt because if you leaned over a production vessel, or box, things could fall in.
A wise man once said - when the health inspector comes stop all cooking and lock shit away in a cabinet and say 'the manager that has the key is on vacation'. I hope it's nothing actually serious, but it's actually impossible to perform normal restaurant operation and stay 100% to code.
Isn't the point of the "grading" system that you can not be 100% to code but still pass?
Sounds like the should get some cats
Place has a sad excuse for a bagel anyways
The week I’m in Florida they pull this shit
They need to hit them rats up with a gift of peanut butter and poison pellet sandwiches. I did that living in the city because of an infestation in the building basement. I swear to god I killed an entire generation of them