Ever since Ark Bagels offered a 25% discount to the students of NYC Museum School, many students have claimed to have noticed a change in bagel size. While the price is lower, students argue that the discount isn’t as worth it since the bagels have shrunk.
Amitai Silver, Museum School’s Student Body President promised this discount at the end of the 2024-25 school year as part of a partnership with Ark Bagels. Before this discount, Ark Bagels was already a popular spot for lunch for Museum School students. However, this year, encouraged by the lower prices, more students go. Some have said that there’s been a significant decrease in bagel size.
Junior Michael Rodriguez said, “I think my friends go [to Ark Bagels] less.” When asked why he thinks that is, he said, “Because the bagels are smaller.”
Fionn Daley, the 11th Grade Representative at Museum School had a similar response. He said, “I believe the bagel size has gotten smaller compared to last year.” When asked about the last time he went to Ark Bagels, he said, “I feel like they scammed me last time,” going as far to say, “the 25% off seemed like a trick they were pulling.”
Not all students feel as negatively about this change. When asked about the discount at Ark Bagels, junior Aaron Leitner said, “The bagels could be a bit bigger, but the quality is good, so I’ll say it’s, like, neutral.” He then added, “To be honest, the bagels do seem slightly smaller though.”
Meanwhile, other students feel a positive change. Juniors Luke Wyatt and Sam Rahavy offered a completely different perspective, saying it helps their health and their wallets. Rahavy said, “It helps to maintain my skinny physique.” Wyatt added [it’s good for] “my summer body” and “you don’t need to eat that much.”
Sophomores Carter El Shapiro, Leo Edelman Park, and Jeffrey Kwan enjoy the discount, only becoming customers this year due to the discount. Shapiro called the discount “a fair exchange” and said “I think it’s great.”
When Silver was asked about the rumors of a decrease in size, he said, “I’m going to talk to [the owner] about that, because he gave me his number and he was like, if you have any problems you should let me know.”
Despite mixed opinions, students say that they’ve noticed the bagels have gotten generally smaller since the discount was put in place. However, many students still enjoy the discount since it helps them spend less money. Daley says that, “I think the discount is worth it for everything but the bagel.”
