Dunkin’ Donuts

I frequent the Dunkin Donuts on Grant Street. We often have clients that want early-morning meetings at the club, and they always require fresh, delicious donuts and bagels.  It’s always been a pleasure to walk into the Dunkin Donuts on Grant Street- the shop is clean, the staff is friendly, and there are plenty of donuts to choose from… until recently.

A few weeks ago I arrived to pick up a two-dozen donuts, muffins and bagels when the store opened at 6am.  When I placed my order, the clerk rolled her eyes, and said, “If you’re going to have such a large order, please call our catering number so we can be prepared- now you’re going to take everything I have!”  Seriously?  Everything you have?  This is probably one of the busiest locations in the city, if not, all of Pittsburgh.  When I got the pastries back to the club, I noticed the muffins were rock-hard; I tweeted this to Dunkin’, but got no response.

Last week I sent my cook out to get one-dozen donuts for another event we were having.  He arrived in the kitchen shaking his head and said, “They were out of donuts chef.”  He went on to explain that (at 8am) there were no donuts on the shelves.  “The woman behind the counter told me that they sold out because they continually make them fresh, and that’s why they didn’t have any left.”  I wondered again how a donut shop in the center of the city could be out of product that early in the morning.  He said that there was a long line of unhappy customers in the shop.  They weren’t totally out however, and were able to sloppily throw together a mixed-dozen of chocolate glazed.  When I opened the box, it looked as if a drunken toddler had painted on the chocolate icing- what a mess.

We have breakfast meetings at the club weekly.  I want to continue using Dunkin’ Donuts, but don’t want to get yelled at by the store employees.  Furthermore, it makes me nervous that a national chain in a bustling metropolitan city can’t keep fresh donuts and muffins on the shelves.