Thing is, though, Lender's bagels, and McDonald's hamburgers, are tasty.
Certainly there are better, I've had much better bagels when I've lived in big cities, but in my relatively small home city that I've retired to starting my day with a Lender's bagel, as I do almost every day, is not a bad thing.
I acknowledge that, not trying to come across as some food snob.
I've enjoyed many a McDonald's cheeseburger. They've spent literally millions of dollars to make it taste good. I should hope it tastes good to most people. But if that's the only burger you've ever tasted, you should really try one made by somebody who grinds/chops their own meat. It's different, better I think, but it's also going to cost 10 times as much.
And yeah, I've enjoyed a few Lender's bagels, toasted with some butter or cream cheese, maybe even gasp some jelly. Untoasted, they're far too spongey, IMO, and I greatly prefer a denser, chewier texture with a stronger flavor. But that doesn't mean Lender's tastes bad.
Certainly there are better, I've had much better bagels when I've lived in big cities, but in my relatively small home city that I've retired to starting my day with a Lender's bagel, as I do almost every day, is not a bad thing.