Hole In One Donuts — Restaurant in Florida

Absolutely abysmal first impression...

For context, I have personally had doughnuts from Hole-In-One, but from the location on the other side of Tampa, because coworkers brought them in faithfully every Wednesday for the office. I can confidently say that those are amazing doughnuts. As anyone can see from my review history, I am not someone who typically writes reviews online because I’m easygoing — but this singular visit was so bad that I felt the need to speak up.

Despite such a terrible first impression, I actually was not going to go through with writing this review until my partner and I were leaving the Scooters coffee shop up the street, where we had a completely and utterly amazing customer service experience — the polar opposite of what we witnessed at this Hole-In-One Brandon, FL location.

(Shout out to the sweet young lady at Scooters in Brandon who asked us about our plans for the day and greeted us warmly. She was truly the customer service palate cleanser we desperately needed.)

Unfortunately, I must also say that the service — or more accurately, the lack thereof — that my partner and I received upon visiting the Brandon location this past Saturday was abysmal.

We arrived about 40 minutes before their posted closing time on Google, hoping to finally score the famous Hole-In-One doughnuts I’d been raving about for weeks. Strike 1: We were met with barely half-glances instead of any form of greeting (“Good morning!” “Welcome in!” “How are you both doing?” “Glad to have you!”) from the young lady (late high school/early 20s) serving doughnuts to two senior customers carefully choosing their purchase; another young man (late high school/early 20s) who came from the kitchen and began boxing the trays of doughnuts in the display without a word; and possibly even the owner/manager (30s) who also came from the kitchen while his son (presumably — the resemblance was uncanny) banged around the restaurant with his school supplies.

Strike 2: While my partner and I were clearly looking at the doughnuts in the display — which didn’t appear to be labeled correctly based on their features — the young lady helping the two senior customers seemed low-energy, moping, and giving off a “I don’t even know why I bothered showing up to work today” vibe. This impression was only magnified when she dropped the bag of doughnuts she was actively filling (along with some doughnuts meant for that order), followed by a deep sigh and pout.

Strike 3: The older customers ahead of us seemed to be struggling to choose flavors, and instead of being a helpful, hospitable employee who could offer flavor recommendations, this young lady continued to glare and pout at them. By this time, my initial excitement for Hole-In-One’s Brandon location had completely vanished. My partner and I silently agreed this visit had gone on long enough, and we ultimately decided to leave after going unacknowledged for 10–15 minutes — despite making eye contact with every visible employee in the restaurant.

Overall, I don’t understand how:

Two new customers in an intimate establishment can go without greeting for so long — especially in a breakfast spot where staff are likely the first humans we interact with for the day. Staff can be so unenthusiastic that their disdain is palpable. Being less than unhelpful — and more than impolite — to paying customers is considered acceptable, or at least goes unchecked by the owner/manager figure.

We are NOT inclined to revisit, nor will we share anything positive about this restaurant

Bottom line: rude staff, absent management, and service so poor we have no interest in...

Amazing fresh donuts! Chain stores can't compare. These donuts are so good that people line up before 6am just to buy them. It's very hard not to buy at least a dozen or two. And those glazed croissants... they just melt in your mouth! Adictingly good. You can also customize your own donut filling and toppings. They have the best apple fritters. I tried Voodoo donuts in City Walk, and they can't compare to Hole In One apple fritters. Their glazed sour cream and maple bacon are some of my other favorites. Oh, and the cinnamon crunch. Oh, can't forget pumpkin. Almost forgot to mention the donut holes. Try not to eat 20. Sooo food. And the prices are reasonable as well. On top of all that, the service is excellent. Family owned, and they care. You can tell they make their donuts and treats with love.

Update- Adding to my review, because I am not able to post additional reviews for the same place. They started making these amazing donuts, I think they are called caramel apple pie. They are (I think) pumpkin or apple crunch donuts, topped with apple pie filling and probably magic, with caramel drizzled on top... Oh my goodness... It's genius! They taste sooo good. Try one. Just ask if you're not sure. You'll be glad you did. Now they're making mochi donuts. That's the next new flavor I'm going to try. Update...

Hole in One Donuts is the best kept secret in Brandon! We visited this past Saturday for the first time. I wanted to try a 'mom and pop' place instead of the usual chain. Let me tell you, the reviews did not disappoint. There was a line out the door (it's a small store) but I would have waited even longer after tasting the donuts. The dough was so fresh and delicious. They were light and fluffy and the icing was perfection. I can only describe them as heavenly. The prices are more than reasonable, especially for their specialty donuts. My daughter and I have been dreaming about them since Saturday so we went back the following Thursday morning during a non-peak time. We met the owner and his brother and when I told them our first time to the store was on Saturday and how amazing their donuts were, they were both so humble and friendly. This time I tried their bacon egg and cheese crossaint and it was honestly the best breakfast sandwich I've had other than homemade. And the donuts were just as fresh, light and fluffy as on Saturday.

Bottom line is, this is exactly the kind of place I want to support. As long as Hole in One Donuts is in business I will not visit another...