Argentine Starbucks Say Drop Dead to Plain Bagels

No Bagels? WTF Starbucks?

Yes. It’s a sad day for any expat living in Argentina who's a plain bagel lover and looks forward to their fix from Starbucks. Up until a few months ago, I relied on this popular international coffee joint to provide me with my Frappuccino fix and my plain bagel with cream cheese.

Cue Patti La Salle's "It's over," because that's exactly what it is. Starbucks in Argentina no longer serve plain bagels. When I asked several baristas, they told me they didn't know why and tried offering me an alternative, which is an "Everything Bagel" that contains Asiago cheese, poppy and sesame seeds, onion and garlic. No thanks!

To say that I was a little ticked off would have been an understatement. The only other place I could turn to for help would be Walmart, which until recently, offered a few bagels every now and then, but they're as rare to find as bacon and Mac and Cheese. So, I decided to reach out to the Powers That Be at Starbucks using social media to ask why they’d discontinued the plain bagel in Argentina. Did I get a response? Uh, that would be a huge no!

While Starbucks Argentina read my message, they never bothered to respond. So, I figured, the company down here was probably slacking off. It wouldn’t shock me. A few years ago, I e-mailed McDonald’s Argentina to see if they’d consider adding a more Americanized breakfast menu, and they suggested I leave Argentina to find my Americanized breakfast somewhere else. So, I reached out to Starbucks in the States to let them know what was going on. They also read my message, but failed to respond.

Fortunately, there's hope as we recently learned that Walmart stores in Argentina get a fresh supply of bagels at the beginning of every month, but they sell out fast. And as you can see, I already cleaned one store out last month, but when I went again this month, I was out of luck. It's a shame too because I bought a new toaster and everything.

I've come to the conclusion that my love affair with plain bagels is over for now. But I’m holding out hope that they may return some day. Until then, I’ll just count my lucky stars that I can still enjoy my Frappuccino.