If you're into mediocre, overpriced, old, stale, and tiny donuts lacking in flavor or freshness, served by workers who are put off by the slightest question, then this is absolutely the place for you.
I came by several months ago. I'd asked a few questions about the donuts available because I was curious about flavors (of the "mystery donut" since I have allergies), and of the ingredients and fry shortening (same reason). The young lady behind the counter appeared in a hurry to move me along (one other person was waiting behind me). She then looked past me as I asked a question about the glaze and invited the other customer to make a selection.
It was an off-putting experience, but I wasn't going to make a post because, frankly, I usually only post reviews of fine dining restaurants... no more so than I would waste my time reviewing a Taco Bell. But then, the owner decided to openly deride those of us on another social media platform questioning the quality of their products and service. She directly challenged me, by name, to try their donuts and *then* leave a review. Challenge accepted. Beware what you wish for.
Here we go: I stopped by and got 3 donuts. A maple bar, a simple glazed yeast ring, and a blueberry cake donut with lemon frosting.
First, the cake donut: If I'd eaten a box of baking soda, my mouth would be less dry than trying to eat that donut. It was cold. Not very fresh... outright stale, in fact. The exterior was crunchy, and not because it was well cooked. The cake disintegrated in my fingers as I tried to eat it. My guess is it was baked hours beforehand, given that she handed it to me from the display case and not from the racks behind the counter... so it had to be from way earlier in the day.
Next, the glazed: Again, clearly not freshly made, but this one at least had a pillow texture... matching the expectation I would have of a simple donut. But it was tiny... thin, about 1/3 the thickness of a standard donut you get at Safeway. The glaze was... well... simple. Sugar and water glaze is kind of hard to screw up. Even then, the coverage was pretty inconsistent... one whole side had the glaze slough off into the bag. All-in-all, it's what I usually get at Safeway or Fred Meyer. And not something I'd pay $2.25 for.
Finally, the maple bar: I save this for last because it's the thing the owner specifically called out as their signature item during our discussion on that other social media platform. The claim they make is "all our icing and frosting are made from scratch." She said the taste and quality difference would be clear. Guess what. It's a maple bar. I don't think I could have told the difference in a blind taste test between this and a grocery store donut. And besides that... it was TINY... see picture with a butter knife for scale. It is literally thinner than the butter knife blade! Again... $2.25 for a product that mimics grocery store donuts (sold for less than 1/2 that price and twice the size) so closely that you can't tell the difference.
I gave the owner $7 for this experiment (and $0.65 to the state and county tax coffers). I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Most of all, I accepted the challenge the owner threw down. You may think me biased, but that's fine... try one for yourself. It isn't gourmet, and it isn't worth any $25/doz, that's for sure. read more