Is the New Absolute Bagels Still Absolute?

If everything about a bagel shop changes except the people who make the bagels, is it still the same shop?

That question has consumed the Upper West Side since “New Absolute Bagels” opened in early 2026 under a new owner, new equipment, and with a noticeably brighter interior - but with much of the same staff, the same layout, and, according to its most devoted customers, the same bagels.