The internet has been left fiercely divided over an extremely pricey Hamptons grocery store - which has become embroiled in a feud with Real Housewives of New York alum Bethenny Frankel.
Back in July 2022, Bethenny, now 53, posted a video to TikTok raving about a local supermarket called Round Swamp Farm.
While she called it the 'most expensive' store she had ever been in, she claimed that many of the items were 'worth every penny,' specifically the 'amazing' chicken salad and gazpacho.
The former reality star went on to upload multiple other clips professing her love for the business, all of which racked up millions of views.
The store, which has three locations across the celebrity-loved Hamptons, was already becoming a favorite amongst locals, and Bethenny's gushing posts certainly helped turn it into a viral sensation online.
The internet has been left fiercely divided over an extremely pricey Hamptons grocery store - which has become embroiled in a feud with Real Housewives of New York alum Bethenny Frankel
Back in July 2022, Bethenny, now 53, posted a video to TikTok raving about a local supermarket called Round Swamp Farm
Soon, hundreds of videos that showed other people reviewing the freshly-made products and discussing their immense costs took over TikTok, with some agreeing with Bethenny that the hefty prices were justified and others slamming the store for charging so much.
But last month, the TV personality became outraged when she visited Round Swamp Farm and claimed she was 'treated really poorly' by the employees.
She said the interaction left her nearly in tears, especially after she claimed her viral reviews helped the store sell 'thousands of products.'
Round Swamp Farm was started by Albert and Barbara Lester in 1966, beginning as a 'a small red stand' where they sold crops that they had grown on their farm.
When Albert passed away in 1968, their daughter Carolyn Lester Snyder took over and eventually expanded it from a small stand to a shop, which opened in 1974.
Now, it's a multimillion-dollar business with three different stores in Bridgehampton, East Hampton, and Montauk that sells freshly baked pies, cookies, loaves of bread, homemade dips, sauces, soups, and fresh produce, among other things.
But the items come at a steep price. Their lobster salad is $56 per pound while the tuna salad costs $35 per pound, a two-quart cardboard container of strawberries is priced at $30, and one bag of cookies come to $12.
And people on the web are divided over the high costs.
While she called it the 'most expensive' store she had ever been in, she claimed that many of the items were 'worth every penny,' specifically the 'amazing' chicken salad and gazpacho
The former reality star went on to upload multiple other clips professing her love for the business, all of which racked up millions of views
The store, which has three locations across the Hamptons, was already becoming a favorite amongst locals, and Bethenny's gushing posts helped turn it into a viral sensation online
'Purchased numerous things from here and all delicious. It's for sure pricey which is on par with the area,' one review on Yelp reads.
'The prices are outrageous,' someone else wrote. 'I spent $22 for a small bag of granola. Very mediocre granola at that.'
'Fabulous place to pick-up a variety of prepared items - baked goods, sides, salads, main dishes, cheese, and some items you can cook at home (meat and produce),' gushed a different Yelp reviewer.
'Their baked goods are DIVINE. Pies. Cinnamon rolls. brownies. Mini chocolate muffins. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum.'
'Listen, the food here is good, but the prices are insane,' slammed another person. 'I came here because of TikTok (namely Bethenny Frankel), and got the staples - chicken salad, Gazpacho and caramel sea salt chocolate chip cookies. These three items added up to $51.'
Bethenny first posted about Round Swamp Farm in July 2022, and she couldn't stop gushing over the products.
'I've never seen a more expensive farm stand. But many of the items are worth it,' she insisted in a video shared to her TikTok account.
'It has the best guacamole. And there's amazing chicken salad. It's shredded not shopped, which matters to me.
Soon, hundreds of videos that showed other people reviewing the freshly-made products and discussing their immense costs took over TikTok
Round Swamp Farm was started by Albert and Barbara Lester in 1966, beginning as a 'a small red stand' where they sold crops that they had grown on their farm
When Albert (seen right with his family in 1964) passed away in 1968, their daughter Carolyn Lester Snyder took over and expanded it from a small stand to a shop, which opened in 1974
Now, it's a multimillion-dollar business with three different stores in Bridgehampton, East Hampton, and Montauk that sells fresh produce, homemade baked good, sauces, and more
'The gazpacho will knock your t**s off. It's $18 and worth every goddamn penny. I drink it out of a f**king straw.
'I get it at the end of the season and I keep it in the freezer for all year. There's something about their gazpacho, it's addicting.'
In another video posted in July 2023, Bethenny gave her followers a glimpse into her $320 haul from Round Swamp Farm.
For that price she got only 24 items, which included a carton of blueberries, two peaches, fresh watermelon, basil pesto hummus, three chicken breasts, a berry pie, and of course, some of her favorite gazpacho.
In July 2024, Bethenny posted another video about it, and she joked that 'everyone hated her' in the Hamptons because she had caused Round Swamp Farm to become so famous online.
She said her videos had resulted in hoards of people rushing to the store, resulting in crowds and long lines that infuriated the locals.
But in early August, she revealed that she was no longer a fan of the supermarket after she said she had a 'terrible' experience there.
People on the web are divided over the high costs. Some of the Yelp reviews are seen above
She documented her first trip to the shop since her videos about it had gone viral, and she joked that she was expecting 'VIP treatment' after she made 'them internationally famous.'
But when she entered the store, she was left fiercely disappointed after she received no recognition from the employees.
And afterwards, she told the camera that she wanted to 'cancel' the store.
'I'm actually in shock. I thought I'd go in and someone would at least say hi. I can't believe it,' scathed the mother-of-one. 'I'm done. I'm finding a new chicken salad.'
In a follow-up post, Bethenny explained that she expected a 'thank you' from the staff members for the amount of business her videos had brought in.
'I went yesterday and I was so excited because I thought I was gonna walk in and they'd be like, "Oh my God yay thank you." Just something,' she shared.
But last month, Bethenny (seen at the store) became outraged when she visited Round Swamp Farm and claimed she was 'treated really poorly' by the employees
She said she interaction left her nearly in tears, especially after she claimed her viral reviews helped the store sell 'thousands of products'
'About 20 [customers] stopped me while I was there and said, "I'm buying the gazpacho because of you."
'It was a whole thing, right? But not one person in the store said one thing to me. Not one person.'
She claimed the employees seemed 'bothered' by her presence, which left her wanting to 'cry.'
'It was so shocking because I've easily moved thousands of dollars of products for them. Easily,' she continued.
'It really did bum me out. I actually felt bad for a couple of hours after, I really did.
'It left a terrible taste in my mouth. It was not great. This is what gives The Hamptons a bad name. It bothered me, I could cry. It hurt my feelings.'
The store is also beloved by Ina Garten, who listed it in a 2021 blog entry as one of her favorite spots in the Hamptons.
