Hoopla Donuts - Calgary Place — Restaurant in Calgary

Donuts: The donuts at Hoopla are excellent. My favourites are the matcha white chocolate, egg nog filled, snickerdoodle, double almond, creme brûlée, and churro. A lot of the fruity ones are a bit too sweet for my tastes (strawberry jam, passionfruit, mango blackcurrant). I have been here maybe 6 times in the last 2 weeks, typically in the morning as they sell out quite quickly.

Customer service: I appreciate the workers trying to improve workflow efficiency by taking orders from customers as they wait in line, but I have noticed this causing trouble multiple times as customers in the back of the line are unable to see the flavours on display and thus cannot order. Maybe a sign with "Today's Flavours" might help? Also -- I always bring a reusable mug when I buy coffee and I guess there is confusion in the order transition as both times I've ordered coffee, my drink was made in a paper cup by mistake and then poured into my KeepCup. Not great for the environment!

Cost: The donuts themselves are a bit on the pricey side. I understand that they are specialty donuts made with quality ingredients and with vegan and gluten-free options, but a simple old fashioned donut will cost you the same as an intricately filled specialty donut ($2.95!).

Marketing: Lastly, the branding and marketing for Hoopla is really fun and whimsical. Great colour schemes and decor, and my only qualm is the unnecessarily long half-dozen box is too cumbersome for my liking (difficult to carry, easy to tip).

Hours: I guess they are aiming at the downtown clientele as their hours are only 7-4 pm and closed on weekends. I feel like better access to millennials will improve your business and offer free advertising (through Instagram), however, anyone that isn't a working professional downtown is unable to access your bakery. For example, I am on a weightlifting team that has Donut Friday every week, but none of us are able to pick up your donuts!

TL;DR: Great donuts, some customer service issues,...

Part 3 of 3:

I had to pull another all-nighter just to come here because I didn't want to take a chance with everything being sold out before mid-morning, even if it is a slow day.

Of course I went on the website and made a list, but just like last time: there were some flavors in store that were NOT listed on the website. The reason for that, I have yet to figure out...

Surprisingly, the donuts at this main branch seemed to be better in taste and quality than some the ones I've tried from the other locations.

I got the Dole Whip and that one was really good. I brought my own plastic wrap and container because I knew it was going to be messy. It managed to stay in shape and size after all that, I found it pretty amusing.

Blueberry Lemon Cream, those colors and flavors just blend perfectly together.

Strawberry Guava was the most disappointing one of the bunch, it had a pea sized strawberry piece and looked like jam was used instead of basic glaze. I didn't get a distinguishable profile from it other than sugar...

One of the flavors not listed on the website was GF White Chocolate Caramel, I got that one just because it wasn't listed on the website.

I do applaud them for taking the time and making them fresh every morning.

But overall, I find the shape and size of these donuts to be on the same level with any other donut from Safeway or wherever. It really is the unique flavors that set them apart. But the fact they also do offer the basic flavors, kind of takes away from the competition.

Finding this place was easier than I thought it would be. But it is real inconvenient to get here because this part of the +15 is blocked off on their side.

So I might visit again in a few months to see if they might have any new seasonal or limited edition flavors. But other than that, not worth the time or effort to go all the way over here on a regular basis. Maybe a few times a year for a treat,...

My exposure to this place is fairly limited to the few times we've had the donuts delivered to the office.

I've tried a few different varieties, and although they are quite tasty, I couldn't really say they are anything special to justify all the hype I've been hearing and seeing. The sizes are sub-par, I would say on spec with disgusting Timmy's. But they are quite obviously better tasting and much fresher than that place.

In comparison with other 'gourmet' donut places, I would probably still put some of the other places in town above this place. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying some of the grocery store donuts are better than these.

And then came the price... WOW! Now they're RIGHT out. For size and taste, the value just isn't there. $3+ for a single tiny donut is insanity for ANY pastry. Let alone one of the simplest and easiest to make out there. There is no way I could justify spending that kind of cash on a donut.

Avoid the hipster lineup, and disappointment of this place being constantly sold out and over-valued. Go buy a 2 for $1 donut at your local grocery store. Much better value per dollar than this place.

All in all, based on location, and the vibe of the place. It's alright. If you don't care about money and value, by all means, go here. They're great for what it is. But I probably would place $1.50 to $2 MAXIMUM on these donuts based on the entire package. After all, at the end of the day, it's just a simple donut for...