I hadn't had a doughnut in years when I placed two orders with Cardigan Donuts.
Upon finding out that two auto show teammates shared the same birthday last month and that one had flown home that day to find that her family had forgotten about it and had cried because of it, I decided to surprise our team the next morning. Given our Ride & Drive activation, teammates were taking our gleaming cars out on a spin with guests more than they were in the convention center, so I opted for a 1/2 + 1/2 order of glazed and cinnamon sugar doughnut holes to maximize convenience and variety for everyone.
I called Cardigan after placing a Yelp order to request swapping a dozen doughnut holes (their stated equivalent of two doughnuts) for a glazed doughnut and a cake doughnut w/sprinkles - the birthday girls' favorites. I was amused at being declined, considering that equivalent swaps would've cost the company nothing while adding to the birthday joy.
I doubled my order and asked for one box each of the doughnut holes, with payment for the second box made upon pickup to minimize processing time. I said I'd be there soon, and everything about my words and voice indicated a hurry.
I call the shop from a block away for more directions in anticipation of it likely not being directly on the downtown street. Good thing I did - the shop is located inside the Marriot building, with a sign that's easy to miss, since it blends in with the signs it's stacked alongside.
Pulling up, I spotted a squad car in front of the entrance and two individuals dashing out from the entrance with two white pastry boxes in hand, darting into a car, and zooming off. They likely hadn't paid for parking. Bold move, considering the cop sitting a few spots behind them.
I took over their spot and darted into the building as more illegally-parked cars took off once their seemingly-magical white boxes were picked up, calling the shop for more directions as I did. Second floor. Okay. Except the building is large, I've minutes to spare, and I have no idea which end of the building the shop is on. I flagged a passerby and find that the shop is in between the two escalators - convenient.
The shop is gleaming white and bright with cheery colors. I love the vibe, but I'm counting minutes, plus I'd pulled the same parking move that Cardigan is clearly used to, so this needs to be fast. I step up to pay for the second half of my order to grab and go, except:
It wasn't packed. None of it.
Three times I'd called with increasing proximity. All three times, I'd communicated urgency. In the second call, I was clearly nearing the building. In the third call, I was clearly heading into the building.
I watch stunned as the person I first spoke to on the phone tells the cashier to help incoming walk-in guests while she finishes handling a column of cooling racks first before walking over to don a pair of gloves and start boxing my 100 doughnut holes, asking me how parking was in attempt to smooth over the situation while not once speeding up her movements, yet not brushing off the sugar covering the boxes once filled.
I'd redesigned a sign for the auto show that's 2/3 the size of my body that I need to carry in alongside the boxes of doughnut holes, and the high winds already make that difficult for petite 5'2.5" me without scurrying to be on time. My team would be understanding of these factors; my tremendous dislike of being even a minute late is a personal thing.
I always park directly beside my activation so I never lose time there, and I'm amused to be late by exactly the amount of time I lost to waiting for my order to be packed. An hour in, I tried one each of the two types of doughnut holes - and was disappointed that I'd amped up my sugar and empty carb consumption for a dry and mediocre experience. I'd anticipated having to keep myself from indulging more (I don't diet or count calories, I just enjoy eating healthy), but no such luck. Unexpected, given the stellar reputation.
I grew up spoiled for doughnuts. My best friend's house was minutes from a local shop, and I was often greeted with fresh doughnuts still piping hot - plus we had a Krispy Kreme's addiction - I loved KK's to the point it was the topic of my informational speech in college. My professor loved the presentation so much that she requested I present it as an example to all her speech classes - it didn't hurt that I brought doughnuts for everyone every time! Later on, I found out that I'd loved these sweet treats before I even knew how to talk.
I admittedly expect a lot from a doughnut, and Cardigan unfortunately didn't deliver. Whoever did the shop interior design did a phenomenal job, though. I might come back to try a specialty dozen or two in curiosity of the great reputation.
Lesson learned: Always clarify that "ready for pickup" means boxed and READY from now on.
PS: Difference between my Yelp order and my call-in order: $2.18. Ordering directly on their website is preferred. read more