Bagelsaurus impresses, leaves room for improvement

It’s no secret that despite its proximity to New York, Boston is host to a “bagel drought” of sorts. Sure, there’s Einstein Bros. Bagels, or whatever your local diner decides to take out of the freezer that morning, but real, delicious bagels are few and far between. Mary Ting Hyatt set out to change that with her development of Bagelsaurus. The bagel shop began in 2013 as a pop-up location within another sandwich shop in Brookline, Cutty’s. Bagelsaurus has now made its permanent home in Cambridge, and it has since become its own bagel hotspot. As the Bagelsaurus website boasts, Hyatt built up a following of customers who became her "'sea salt bagel w/ honey-rosemary cream cheese' enthusiasts." She had no choice but to develop a permanent residence for her creations, in the hopes of putting an end, once and for all, to the severe lack of bagel options in Boston.

Bagelsaurus certainly doesn’t stand out amongst its surroundings. On its strip in Cambridge, it could be just another store. But once inside, it is clear to see it is anything but that. Complete with seating for up to 15 people, Bagelsaurus encompasses an ideal vision of a typical breakfast nook. The bagel shop has fast service, so customers can walk up to the register and choose how they wish to satisfy their cravings on that particular morning.Choices include sandwiches that are pre-made, such as the “Hot Smoked,” which features smoked salmon, cream cheese, apples and parsley-caper salad, as well as the “T-Rex,” which includes banana, house-made almond butter, (optional) bacon and honey and makes for a delicious sweet treat.Bagelsaurus also gives customers the opportunity to create their own bagel creation from scratch with bagel options such as pretzel, black olive and cheddar garlic (available on Friday-Saturday) and spreads like honey rosemary cream cheese, scallion cream cheese and mustard butter.

Bagelsaurus seems to be just the right amount of different. The consumer shouldn't be looking for their bagel to have pickles and fireworks shooting out of it, but it is obvious that the shop has found a niche and is excelling within that niche. Customers have the option of going for big-league bagels and including varied add-ons like roasted tomatoes or fish, but they are also more than welcome to opt for the simple plain bagel with cream cheese.

Hyatt’s shop has received an immense amount of presslately, perhaps simply as a result of consumers being unable to find Hyatt's delicious product anywhere else. It appears that Hyatt herself indeed has a monopoly on the bagel market in Boston. As a business still in its early stages, however, Bagelsaurus has struggled with this influx of demand. Right off the bat, the limited amount of space and seating seems to be an issue for a location with such high demand, especially when the shop caters to making the bagel experience more of a meal and less of a grab-and-go scenario. In addition, Hyatt prides herself on utilizing an in-depth 24 hour process of creating the bagels, which is what most likely causes Bagelsaurus to sell out of bagels as early as 12:30 p.m. on weekdays.Thinking about stopping by on a weekend? Forget about it. Not only do bagels sell out even earlier, but unimaginably long lines also form. Bagelsaurus has been forced to implement rules and ways of cutting these lines on the weekend, such as having customers pay with cash only, purchase a baker’s dozen of bagels or purchase a bagel without any substitutions or add-ons from the normal menu.

Bagelsaurus has given the greater Boston area what it has been in search for for years: a delicious and reliable bagel source. There is no doubt that the product is of high quality and will continue to attract customers. At the same time, Bagelsaurus needs to develop new ways of handling its popularity in order to ensure its continued success for the future.

Bagelsaurus is located in Porter Square at 1796 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Mass. 02140. They can be reached at (857) 285-6103 and online at http://www.bagelsaurus.com/#welcome. They are open Tuesday — Friday: 7am — 3pm (or sell out) and Saturday — Sunday: 8am — 3pm (or sell out). Bagelsaurus is closed Mondays.