Will New York’s cream cheese shortage force bagel joints to go easy on the schmear? An investigation

We got out a ruler and visited New York City bagel establishments to see whether they are overdoing the amount of cream cheese on each bagel

In terms of quintessential New York experiences, ordering a bagel with cream cheese (not toasted, particularly if the bagel is fresh out of the oven) tops the list. But now, bagel shop patrons are beginning to have problems securing one half of their orders.

A cream cheese shortage is throwing New York City's bagel shops across all five boroughs into a frenzy, leaving some of the city's top bagel spots, including Tompkins Square Bagels in the East Village and Absolute Bagels on the Upper West Side, with only enough schmear in stock to last a few days, the New York Times reports. The Upper West Side's Zabar's has enough cream cheese to last only the next 10 days.