A New Jersey woman has accused a deli worker at a Bergen County bagel shop of calling her a racial slur after she forgot to ask for her bagel to be toasted. She posted a video of the alleged incident on TikTok, and it has since drawn significant attention online.
The woman, known on TikTok as Dee (@ariellajael), said the worker called her a “motherf***er” and a “hyena” after she realized she had not asked for her bagel to be toasted. In the video, the store manager also appeared to be present during the alleged incident but did not look like step in to address the worker’s behavior.
The video shows Dee inside the shop, filming two employees standing behind the counter. “TikTok, help me find this racist piece of s–m right here,” she says in the clip, directing her words at one of the men. She then identifies the location as “Hot Bagels on Teaneck Road in Bergen County, New Jersey.”
The shop has been nationally recognized, but some older reviews suggest prior customer service issues
Hot Bagels on Teaneck Road is a kosher bagel shop that, according to its webpage, has been open since 1993. However, a look at the shop’s Yelp page shows several one-star reviews that appear to have been posted after Dee’s video went up.
@ariellajael #fyp #explore #bergencounty #teaneckroadhotbagels
♬ original sound – Dee
Separately, a number of older reviews on the same page describe prior concerns about customer service and sanitation at the shop, suggesting the recent video was not the first time customers had raised issues. When businesses retaliate against critics, the backlash often escalates, as one Alabama shop owner learned.
All Hip Hop highlights one review from July 4, 2018, written by a woman named Mary, who also identified herself as a woman of color, describing what she said felt like unequal treatment during a holiday visit. “This is usually my favorite place to get breakfast,” Mary wrote. “But today (and recently to be honest), I’ve been feeling a way about how they’ve been treating me.”
Mary also described an incident in which she said the owner’s son appeared to lock the front door while looking at her as she was parking, even though a couple she had seen leave the store just before her had been served.
“Is this how it felt in the pre-Civil Rights Movement South when Blacks were told to sit in the back of the bus? That’s the way it made me feel,” she wrote. Another review from 2014 described an employee at the shop as an “angry man,” though no further details were provided.
In the comments section of Dee’s TikTok video, viewers shared a range of reactions. Some said they live near the shop and want nothing to do with it, following the video. “I will NEVER go there…its right near my house,” one person wrote.
Others pushed back on commenters who questioned whether Dee’s account could be verified. “To all the folks asking how do they know this to be true,” one commenter wrote, “she didnt ask for help proving her story, she asked for help to identify this man.” Customer-employee interactions at food establishments can sometimes turn unexpectedly hostile, as in a recent Illinois Dunkin employee incident.
One commenter said they had visited the shop recently and claimed to have overheard a conversation that may offer some context. “My friend and I went there the other day Early morning,” they wrote.
“I’m sorry for your experience. It’s crazy because we overheard a conversation with the store manager and it seemed like a long time customer. He said he regrets ever letting his sons work in his business and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. He seemed genuinely upset maybe this is why he said it 🤔. I hope he tries to reach out and apologize to you for the poor customer service you experience but the muffins are good and bagels toasted with cream cheese.”
The bagel shop has not publicly commented on the allegations, and the worker’s identity has not been confirmed. The claims made in Dee’s video remain unverified.
