Cream cheese shortage frustrates NYC bagel shops: 'This is a big problem'

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Cream cheese shortage hits NYC bagel shops

Heartland Bagels owner Anthony Teutonico on cream cheese shortage hitting NYC bagel shop.

Bagel store owners told Fox News Tuesday morning they're having a hard time running their businesses because of a cream cheese shortage.

"You can’t get a bagel without cream cheese," Heartland Bagels owner Anthony Teutonico told "Fox & Friends."

Teutonico, whose bagel store is located in Staten Island, New York, said distributors are unable to procure packaging for the cream cheese, though it's unclear to him what's causing the backlog. 

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As the nation heads into the Christmas season, fears are mounting that massive inflation and ongoing supply chain issues will make this holiday one of the most expensive in memory. 

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Luca Pautasso, a New York-based financial services provider, told Fox Business that public spending and a shortage of goods have created the "perfect storm." 

"It’s going to be a tough Christmas," he said. "Many projections say that this is going to be the most expensive … Christmas in the last 30 years."

He noted that although many Americans have seen their paychecks increase, it is still not enough to fight against the huge rates of inflation the country is facing. But it remains to be seen exactly how Americans will adapt to this climate, he said. 

Containers line a Port of Oakland shipping terminal on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, in Oakland, Calif. Intense demand for products has led to a backlog of container ships outside the nation's two largest ports along the Southern California coast. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

"It will be hard to keep the same pace of spending … but people are going to still try to outdo the Christmas they're used to," he said. 

Much of the anticipated shortages originate with the global supply chain crisis, which is affecting the price of virtually everything from the food on our plates to raw and packaging materials. 

The average time it takes for ocean freight to go door-to-door has increased 45% over the last year, from 51 days to 74 days, according to Freightos. Ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, account for 40% of all shipping containers entering the United States. 

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The cream cheese packaging issue is costing Teutonico’s business more money. He said he has to leave the store many days to try to buy cream cheese.  

On top of the supply issue, Teutonico said he has struggled to hire people. While he is searching for cream cheese packaging, it's difficult for him to leave the store and handle other responsibilities because the bagels are in demand.

"Absolutely, it’s going to cost me more, no doubt about it, and time is money too, you run around all day, you’re on the phone all day trying to get it from everybody and then when you can’t get it you’re running around to stores trying to get," he told host Steve Doocy.

Mike Stern, owner of Long Island Bagel Cafe, told "Fox & Friends First" the cream cheese shortage is a "big problem."

"Cream cheese is obviously an essential part of our business. I go through 300 pounds of cream cheese a week and last week I was scouring the area trying to find any bit of cream cheese. I had a vendor who got some in at the last minute, but I’m concerned, am I going to have enough to get me through this week and next week?" he explained.

Frank Mattera, the owner of Bagelsmith in Brooklyn, said the amount of cream cheese his distributors provided was "not enough" and he was forced to drive an hour and a half to procure cream cheese from a distributor in New Jersey.

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"I needed more cream cheese. I wouldn’t have made it through the week," he said. 

Mattera said he expects the cream cheese he procured to last until the end of January, hoping the supply issues have been resolved by that time. 

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.