Some things just won't stand in the Big Apple — and West Coast influence on a New York classic like a bagel is evidently one of them.
On Oct. 26, Taylor Offer — a born and raised Angeleno — got a little too loosely goosey for the Empire State when he went to a bagel shop and made a very specific request.
In a viral post recently shared to his TikTok page and viewed nearly 5 million times, Offer recalled how he asked for a "scoop gluten-free bagel" at a bagel shop and was promptly directed to kick rocks.
“I’m not scooping your f---ing bagel, bro,” Offer says of the employee's response to his order.
Typically, a "scooped bagel" is a bagel that has the bread on the inside removed to reduce caloric intake.
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“I was like, ‘Dude, that’s how I want it,’” Offer continues in the clip before noting that the employee “was like, ‘Get the f--- out of here with that s---.’”
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According to Offer, who is the CEO of an athleisure brand called Feat Clothing, he’s used to having such requests accommodated in the City of Angels where he lives.
"In Los Angeles, you order a bagel, you walk in, you say, 'Hey, can I get a scooped gluten-free bagel?'" Offer claims in the video. "The person behind the bar's usually like, 'Of course, we have these other options today for gluten-free. Of course, I can do that for you.'"
Speaking with TODAY.com, Offer couldn't recall the name of the shop in which he tried to order the bagel. He says it had happened in the Flatiron District.
He says he had been surprised at the negative reaction from the shop.
"They just weren’t really having it. I just wanted a gluten-free scoop bagel and I get it, they’re busy," he says.
Offer explains that he's been cutting back on gluten lately for health reasons and traveled to New York City for his friend's engagement party.
When Offer shared his story to social media, people immediately had thoughts.
"Just googled what a scooped bagel was," one user wrote in the comments section of Offer's post. "The deli guy was correct."
"I imagine a scooped bagel is like ordering a muffin and only eating the wrapper," another commented.
"GF AND scooped??" one other user balked. "I feel like at that point you have to just admit you don’t really want a bagel at all"
"As an east coaster that moved to LA…can everyone please understand the bagel conditions with which I’ve been having to endure," another pleaded.
Meanwhile, commenters were a bit more generous.
"It’s brave of you to admit this," one replied.
"Bro. Bacon, egg, and cheese; salt, pepper, ketchup and KEEP IT MOVING, MY GUY," another instructed.
Still, it doesn't seem totally impossible for such a knead to go unmet in New York.
In a post shared on his account the next day, Offer shared that he'd achieved scooped-gluten bagel success. Holding up his bagel for the camera, he revealed that someone had scooped out the insides for his order.
"It's actually a pretty genius idea," Offer says in his demonstration. "You get less bagel, more cream cheese."
While the anti-scooped, gluten-free bagel experience hasn’t entirely soured his opinion of the city, Offer said it affirmed his decision to continue to live on the West Coast.
"I think a lot of places in New York aren’t that friendly," he tells TODAY.com. "Which I’ve realized that is very different than from Los Angeles in California where everyone’s friendly.”
He says the bagel debate had surprised him.
"I didn't realize how many New Yorkers have an issue with L.A. because L.A. (people) don't really care about New Yorkers. But New Yorkers really hate people in California for some reason, which I started to learn pretty quickly," he says. Offer adds that people recognized him in the streets of New York City since his viral video and shouted at him to go home.
"I had like 10 or 20 people come up to me, like, 'Hey, bagel guy, get the f--- out of here," he says, adding that he diffused the situations by laughing and people seemed to "chill out" after he did that.
"I think people just want to find a reason to be angry," he says. "I would just laugh back at them, smile and say hi. And then they kind of chilled out, but yeah, people are very interesting."
Offer adds that his favorite bagel shop is Courage Bagels in Los Angeles and stoked the East Coast/West Coast rivalry a bit more before hanging up:
"Los Angeles is better than New York, " he laughs. "Los Angeles: better bagels and better weather and better people than New York."
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
