For almost forty years of our being in business we, Collegetown Bagels and Ithaca

Bakery, have prided ourselves on creating an effective and cohesive team with our
staff, taking the success of the business and investing in our employees who provide
great products and the best in customer service. Just as importantly we’ve sought to
create a workplace that is fun, fair, respectful and always a place that not only
allows but encourages communication between staff and management, including
the owners of the business. Our doors are always open, our personal numbers
posted and our emails widely available to all. People take advantage of it regularly
and we are all the better for it, using the best ideas to improve wherever and
whenever possible. It is far more than a family business but more like a family itself.
The owners all continue to work in the business on a daily basis, side by side with
the crew, as they always have.

As the company grew we utilized its success to create a place that could be an actual
career for those who chose to stay around and stick with it. Unlike most businesses
in the food industry, we were among the first to offer benefits such as health
insurance, dental insurance, benefit time and a retirement plan with generous
matching. The amount of money that goes out in the form of salary and benefits as a
percentage of sales is far above industry norms for almost any industry but
especially the food industry.

Fast forward to the pandemic of 2020. Our staff, despite the added stresses, has
risen to the occasion and continues to show up, create delicious foods on a daily
basis and serve the area with the same good cheer and care to appreciative Ithacans
and visitors in an effort to help preserve the viability and specialness of the business
and, by extension, the community as a whole.

From day one of the Covid era we have been at the forefront of safety for both staff
and customers. We enforced a no mask no service rule from the get-go even as some
objected, placing large signs on, in and around each facility to drive the point home.
As we learned more, we did more, adding protective barriers, distance markers on
the floors, mask reminders on the tables and even rearranging whole stores in the
night in order to create a system which was more conducive to physical distancing.
For those not comfortable coming into the stores despite these measures, we
instituted curbside pickup and rolled out new websites for online ordering to make
contactless purchasing easy.

Much of what was done was above and beyond what was required by any law or
agency. We understood well that, beyond the caring we had for our staff and
customers, the business would not survive if not for the continued good health of
those who entered to purchase food or to work. Compliance with all of the safety
procedures has been monitored constantly throughout the day on an every day
basis by both management and owners.

Testing has been not only allowed as needed but mandated by us in many cases, out
of an abundance of caution, for people to return to work following any illness, any
possible contact with infected individuals or those who have had contact with
infected people or those who have attended lawful gatherings in places with less
stringent rules. Those efforts have not gone un-rewarded as we have had almost no
staff contract the virus and none at all within the retail environment at five stores.
Only with the support and cooperation of our dedicated staff have we been able to
be so fortunate.

We have been in direct communication with our County Health Department on a

more than weekly basis as we’ve attempted to navigate this challenging and scary
time. They have been incredibly helpful and supportive, informing us as best they
have been able all along the way, available to answer every question and concern we
have had and there have been many. With their assistance we have formulated
policies and procedures that go beyond what is required by law in an effort to make
clear for all staff and management exactly what to do in any scenario that might
present.

We have dedicated many thousands of dollars and untold hours of both staff and
management time to ensure that our adherence to expectations is both constant and
complete. Again, the staff has risen to the occasion, able to incorporate new
practices into their daily routine with virtually no complaints. Daily screenings,
constant sanitation and masks became the norm along with curbside deliveries, new
online order systems and increased multitasking.

While it is unfortunate that some felt it necessary to anonymously address concerns

about our work environment in the public sphere rather than seeing what could
first be accomplished with direct communication, it nevertheless provides us an
opportunity for even further improvement and a greater degree of collaboration as
we continue to navigate this scary and confusing time. Our commitment to
communication about the realities of the business in an open, honest transparent
manner is as strong as ever. In that light we are attempting to meet with all who
wish to participate in an effort to address any concerns which employees have.
Together, we are hopeful that we can see our way through and survive this
pandemic.

It truly takes a village and it must be said that in addition to our hard-working and
courageous staff, our customers have remained ever-loyal, attempting to patronize
us as always in whatever way they were comfortable. It is with their continued
support, encouragement and outright generosity that we have made it this far when
many restaurants locally and across the country have not been so fortunate.

While the letter to the owners from some staff members regarding demands in
relation to Covid-19, made public through Facebook and now through the media,
contains some very valid concerns as well as some inaccuracies, we will not be
debating those in a public forum as we feel that would be both disrespectful and
inappropriate. Suffice to say, every issue raised will absolutely be taken to heart and
thoroughly discussed and considered internally at every level as we seek to remain
a local institution with deep roots and a long track record of fairness, sensitivity,
respect and generosity in the business and the greater Ithaca community.