***Update*** errr lack thereof
To be as fair as possible, I haven't been back to Hello Sugar. That in itself may say something but in all fairness a lot of their early issues may now be resolved. Starting a business is always hard and they came out of the gates with so much potential that I assume a lot of the things I observed in my first review have been rethought by the owners. So, take all that into consideration.
*********** original review ************
Ok, so we finally made it to the latest trendy donut joint. Today is Friday and I would describe the place as being moderately busy. It has tons of potential, but still needs lots of work. Here's my .02 of our first experience.
The good:
- awesome name
- donuts are super tasty. We had two dozen donuts total-2 of each type (the sampler)
- it's clean
- vibe is good
- staff was super friendly this should be highlighted because finding good staff in the Spokane area is really hard. Kudos to the hiring process.
Ok, so let's go over the things that need attention.
The big stuff:
-ORDERING- first, the layout and process for ordering coffee and donuts couldn't be more confusing when you arrive for the first time. It was a nightmare actually. Customers were standing around waiting for their donuts which confused us as to where we should start. We asked several people if they were "in line" which is an indicator of a bad setup for ordering.
The other problem is you pay for coffee and donuts separately. I realize they are different business but they occupy the same space and have the appearance of being part of the same experience. Having to pay twice within the same 2-3min is a terrible idea from a customer's POV.
- THE MENU AND SIGNAGE - ok, so this is 101 stuff that you absolutely have to get right. First, the donut menu is awkwardly placed on a thin wall where you barely notice it. They have this huge space above the counter for what should be an easy to read menu where you can figure out what they have and what you want in advance of ordering. As it is now, you have to get up to the register to figure out what you want which makes the people behind you super happy as they wait for you to decide.
Adding insult to injury, they chose to favor cutesy fonts on their menu over ones that are easily readable. Why business do this I'll never know. Please just take 15 seconds to look at popular brands and you'll realize none of them do this. Lose the cursive writing on your menu. It's irritating and require effort to decipher.
-FLOW - omg the layout for ordering and getting your donuts feels like it was engineered by a 5yr old. The space is small and they put the pick up location at the worst possible corner of the joint. You end of having to crawl over a line of people to get your stuff. Put the pickup location somewhere that doesn't slow the process down even more!
- THE WAIT - it took 34m exactly (yes, I timed it) for our order to come up. Honestly, who likes donuts that much?
The smaller details:
- coffee and donuts pair really nicely (no duh). So, you order both and get your coffee first. 30+ minutes later when you donuts finally arrive you're out of coffee. See the problem here? It's a total misread of what the experience SHOULD be.
- Seating - today is pretty hot. The inside seating is limited and cramped. There is plenty of outdoor seating in the back but the tables don't have umbrellas so nobody sat out there (including us)
- The garbage can and the packaging don't like each other! So, when you really pay attention to your customer experience you notice the details that make the difference between places like Starbucks and the local coffee stand.
When you order a dozen donuts you get it in this white box. The problem is when you finish and go to throw it away.....the box doesn't fit through the garbage opening so you get to crush it first just to throw it away. Is it hard to do? Not really...but it's dumb that you have to.
Owners/management- please read this carefully. I'm trying to be constructive in my feedback because I truly want you to be successful. In my profession I'm responsible for user research so I get dialed in on this type of stuff which is why I took the time to write all this.
I'll try one more time in a few weeks to see if the experience has improved. I'll update this review accordingly. Wish you the best in your adventure to dominate the donut industr read more