One thing you need to know about me — I would do just about anything for a good bagel. 

I have literally driven to Des Moines just to get a bagel from Bruegger’s Bagels. 

My favorite bagels are the big, fat New York bagels. You can (and I in fact do) get them shipped straight to your doorstep, but they don’t taste anywhere near how they do when you get it freshly-made and eat it while walking down a disgusting, busy street.

You can imagine my devastation at the lack of a good bagel place in Ames. 

Now, I’m not saying that the Ames City Council needs to find a genuine New York bagel shop to take root in Ames. I find Bruegger’s Bagels to be a perfectly acceptable substitute. Einstein Bros. Bagels would also satisfy the need.

I can’t count the times that I have woken up on a Sunday morning desperately wanting a plain bagel toasted with plain cream cheese. On those mornings, the only thing I can think about is how badly I want a Bruegger’s here. Dunkin’ Donuts has bagels, but they’re not great. Starbucks has bagels that are on par with Dunkin’ in my opinion. 

There used to be a Bruegger’s in Ames, but the store closed in 2017 due to declining sales. At the time, the general manager told the Ames Tribune that the closing was a shock, and that usually stores are given a full year to try to turn things around before the location gets closed.

My fellow Iowa State students and I want bagels here and we want them now. I refuse to allow the bagel erasure in this city to continue. I am tired of subpar bagels. 

So, to the Bruegger’s Bagels corporate office, I say this: help bring bagels back to Ames.