The Store-Bought Garlic Bread That's A Hard Pass

A pasta dinner is not complete without a side helping of garlic bread. Whether it comes sliced, as sticks, or tied in knots, minced garlic combined with butter and bread is a perfect match. It sounds simple and so easy, but unfortunately, even garlic bread can come out wrong from time to time.

Buying garlic bread at the store means no extra prep and one less thing to worry about before dinner time. Choosing a garlic bread should be a no brainer, but not all garlic bread brands can be trusted. Out of the many store-bought garlic breads in the world, Stop & Shop bakery's freshly prepared garlic bread just does not hit the spot. The bread is fine, but the garlic margarine is foul in flavor and turns the inside of the loaf into wet mush.

It does not help that the packaging has no instructions on it either, so it is near impossible to know if the bread is being heated up incorrectly. There are certainly ways to improve store-bought garlic bread, like toasting or grilling the slices. However, given how bad the product is just by itself, it might simply be better to buy something else or just make garlic bread at home.

When it comes to garlic bread, Stop & Shop customers are far from satisfied. In December 2020, one customer reported on Yelp that they brought home a loaf of freshly prepared garlic bread only to remove it from the packaging and find that the loaf was falling apart and torn into pieces. Another customer noted on Sitejabber in August 2022 that they bought Stop & Shop's freshly prepared garlic bread only to find that the loaf was covered in black mold spots.

Unfortunately, garlic bread is not the only Stop & Shop product that suffers from both bad taste and texture. Customers have flocked to review sites to air their complaints about the company in regards to the quality of products, the quality of service, and the cleanliness of the stores themselves. Review websites like Sitejabber show a measly 1.5 stars from a total of 135 reviews, with negative reviews as recent as July 2024.

Speaking of reviews, it is quite peculiar that many of Stop & Shop's products, including freshly prepared garlic bread, have no reviews on the company's store page. However, on the subreddit dedicated to Stop & Shop, customers have repeatedly complained about receiving produce with mold. Others have also claimed that they were sold spoiled meat on several occasions. Overall, it would seem that freshly prepared garlic bread is just the tip of a product problem iceberg at Stop & Shop.