One of the most hindering issues Einstein Bros. Bagels has is its understaffing.

Einstein’s is a popular spot for students of Sam Houston State University to grab a quick snack, coffee or sandwich. Their decently priced bagels and variety of “shmears” are able to please even the pickiest of eaters.

However, at times when Einstein’s is the busiest, its staff seems the smallest.

All too often, a patron of the bagel shop must wait for one of the employees to stop making a bagel and return to the register to place their order. Thankfully, the bagels are so good, it’s worth the wait.

The strain the understaffing places on Einstein’s unfortunately lowers the quality of the product.

The amount of “shmear” applied to each bagel varies depending on how busy the spot is. A standardized process, which should run the same at every Einstein’s, now sees daily errors.

The coffee and espresso options, popular with students not fond of Starbucks, sees issues as well.

The mid morning rush, where students binge caffeine in hopes of making it through the rest of their classes, has caused drinks to be made incorrectly. In one instance, a patron waited more than 20 minutes for a vanilla-hazelnut latte only to find there was no coffee added.

Milk with vanilla and hazelnut syrup becomes a hyper-sugary concoction that even the hungriest sweet tooth could not finish.

As a location that takes Bearkat Bucks, every student can patronize Einstein’s. The worst part of mistakes at Einstein’s is not the lack of caffeine or loss of a delicious drink but the waste of money for the penny-pinching college student.

One of the more awkward situations with their understaffing is when it leaves the nearby C-Store completely unattended.

More often that not, a patron of the C-Store is left waiting at the register for an Einstein’s employee to break off from the already overworked bagel assembly line to assist the store’s customer.

This is not only an issue in regards of customer service but safety for the C-Store’s merchandise. The store goes for multi-minute periods with no supervision, just begging for shoplifters to loot.

The only solution to this problem is to schedule more workers to Einstein’s and the C-Store, especially during times of high traffic. With Einstein’s closing daily at 3 p.m., the breakfast and lunch rushes put a heightened strain on the already fragile process.

Luckily, the employees always seem in high spirits, making the lengthy process a little more bearable. The workers work quickly to prepare a customer’s selection and are never bitter when needing to assist a customer in the C-Store.

This proves that the issue is not the employees themselves but the area’s understaffing. Even one extra employee on Einstein’s line would lift the burden enough to see improvement.

As the university grows, so does the need for fast service at restaurants. The increase in students has made lines at campus eateries longer than ever, but with no change to the services provided, many dining destinations become backlogged and are no longer a quick stop for a busy student.

When it comes down to it, the last thing a student should have to worry about is waiting for food, especially when the time spent in line leads to possibly missing portions of class.