Peace, Love and Little Donuts of Hyde Park — Restaurant in Cincinnati

Idk who was on staff today, but may your religious/spiritual entity of choice bless you greatly. TL;DR—Fresh, beautiful, but hours and availability hit or miss sometimes.

I took a 6 month hiatus after a couple wonky orders. One or two of the orders I placed some of the donuts were a lot drier than I remembered them being. I’m a baker too, so I know I sometimes accidentally let things cook slightly too long. Or maybe that batch of donuts was the very first batch of the day (and it’s now basically the end of the workday) or the last batch from the day before. It’s not a full complaint, but this did happen a couple times.

And then I accidentally ran into some confusion with the hours of operation. They do differ depending on which platform you reference, but I think that’s the case for many restaurants, especially those who do delivery. It happened a couple times where I was able to place my order, but it was never confirmed. Maybe they forgot to turn the tablet off. And in one case also I think it was just a case of terrible timing, as it’s my understanding that the management had to close that day due to an unexpected personal emergency. No one is holding that against them. All of this is to say that I went into my order today a little hesitant. But I’m very pleased to say everything was tasty and fresh. And I didn’t just order like half a dozen. I ordered TWO dozen. And each one of them looks so carefully topped and decorated, placed with intention in their little boxes…I order boxes of 6 even though they have boxes for 12 because I don’t like my flavors mixing too much and some need refrigerated and others don’t benefit from that. So I know it’s a little more work to do it this way and it means more to me that they’re ALL perfect anyway.

I really needed a win. So thank you!

EDIT 8 WEEKS LATER: their donuts ARE very tasty but I’m getting just a teeny tiny bit frustrated with the availability and hours and how unpredictable they seem. For two days I have been trying to place another order and it kept getting cancelled. I finally got it to go through today for pickup in a couple hours. Half an hour before pickup I get a notification that my order has been cancelled. I get a call from them saying they only have 30 left and cannot fulfill my order. I just…don’t know why it was accepted, then. It’d be be one thing if this was the first issue I’ve had with them, but it’s at this point literally a 50/50 shot of whether they’ll go through with an order or not and there’s no way to tell. My best recommendation I guess is to order multiple days in advance and call every single day leading up to the day of pickup to make sure they can still do it, then on the day of call 3, 2, and 1 hour before pickup as well as half an hour and/or right before you leave to make sure they’re still going...

No vegan options…

Editing so I can reply -

Thank you for your response. I understand the need to minimize waste and the challenges of managing fresh production throughout the day. Still, I’d like to respectfully offer another perspective based on current trends and data.

While it’s true that about 1% of Americans identify as vegan, recent research shows that 6% follow a plant-based diet, and nearly 40% of Americans are trying to eat more plant-based foods, even if they don’t consider themselves vegan or vegetarian. This isn’t just a niche market—it’s a growing one with increasing influence over consumer choices.

You mentioned that in the past vegan donuts didn’t sell well and had to be thrown away. I understand that experience, but in many cases, low demand is the result of low visibility. If customers don’t know that vegan options exist—or if they feel unwelcome asking for them—they’re unlikely to order them.

Interestingly, I noticed you do offer gluten-free options. Yet, only about 1% of the U.S. population has celiac disease, and another estimated 6% may be gluten-sensitive. Statistically, the demand for vegan options is just as strong—if not stronger—than gluten-free. If one is worth offering, it’s hard to understand why the other is seen as a burden.

And honestly, what stood out the most: you offer donuts for dogs, which is awesome—but also a reminder that accommodations can be made when a business sees the value in doing so. Offering a treat for dogs but not for a growing group of plant-based eaters seems inconsistent—especially when one group is more likely to become loyal, repeat-paying customers.

Finally, while your response was polite in form, it came across as dismissive in tone. Encouraging a customer to “go find” another business may not be the best way to build loyalty—especially from people who truly want to support local shops like yours.

Veganism is not a “narrow market.” It’s part of a growing shift in how people eat, and inclusive businesses stand to...

Please do not give this location your business. While the employees are really kind and helpful, the owner is the exact opposite.

Story time:

We have ordered donuts many times from this location and it was great. So when my daughters birthday rolled around we decided to place a big order for her party at school. We had discussions over the phone about what we wanted. I picked up the donuts, not knowing what my wife had ordered, and took them home. My wife saw them and said they were not what was ordered. She called to talk to them and the person on the phone ended up giving us a credit. Everything seemed fine. Fast forward, we go to place another big order and use our credit and the owner Kyle gets on the phone and starts yelling at my wife about how we do not have a credit. She explained the situation. Kyle kept yelling that the person did not have the authority to do that. We went round and round with him and he just kept arguing. He finally said, "fine, fine, i'll make that employee pay for your donuts." Thats not what we wanted either. Very unprofessional.

WHAT?!

The WORST customer service experience we have ever encountered. Instead of taking care of a customer and then having a private, internal discussion with his employee, Kyle decided to yell at my wife, argue with her repeatedly, and then tell her that he would make that employee pay for our donuts. That is not a conversation to have with your customers Kyle.

Needless to say, we will not be giving them any more business. At least not until they get...