Parlor Doughnuts — Restaurant in Huntsville

Choosing Parlor Doughtnuts was a really negative way to celebrate my weekly cheat meal. The doughnuts were quite good, but the customer service left much to be desired. The doughnuts are the only reason I'm not giving Parlor Doughnuts a 1/5.

I wasn't really acknowledged when I walked in. The kid sweeping the front area just glared at me when he had to move his broom and dustpan so that I could walk by him.

The woman with the shorter bleach blonde hair and tattoos was unfriendly and indifferent as she was trying to help me. I had a really simple order that I placed online, however, the doughnuts that I ordered weren't available even though their online ordering system said they were. The woman helping me became a bit flustered and told me that the doughnuts I ordered weren't available. She said that she couldn't make them and left it at that. She didn't make any recommendations to correct the situation or try to figure out a way to make it right. Still, it was It was no big deal to me. I did her job for her and came up with the solution on the spot that didn't involve any real trouble for either of us. I asked her to go with her two recommendations from the lot of doughtnuts available and that that would be fine for me. Maybe asking her to make a recommendation was too much, however, I thought it would be easiest for both of us since she's obviously familiar with the doughnut types and I'm not since it was my first time there.

The woman proceeded to get the doughnuts, packaged them, and instead of handing them to me (we were literally two feet from each other - I was standing just across the counter), just slide them across the counter to me without looking at me. The way that she did it was so offensive and rude. It was a truly impersonal, sullen, and dismissive interaction that I didn't think was warranted. I could've been much more difficult by asking for my money back because the doughnuts I had ordered weren't available. I took the package, wished her a good day, and got out of there as soon as quickly as I could. The vibe and customer service were such that I didn't feel welcome.

I've owned and worked in small, customer-service business like this before. I know how tough it can be to both own and work in one. I also know how it can be to have people working for you who don't care about your business. All that said, it's just not good practice to make your customers feel unwelcome and to give your customers problems without trying to think of solutions for them. I went out of my way to be an easy, non-demanding customer and was met with a sullen, unhelpful attitude. I won't return to Parlor...

I was nearby getting my apple cider needs met at Pizelle's and figured...might as well try the most hyped donuts in town, finally.

This location is part of a small chain. The store is located in Campus 805, more towards what I consider the "back" of this very popular hangout venue. During the daytime, at least, parking is not super challenging, and as far as donuts are concerned, you're probably not coming at 8 PM for those, so no worries there.

The inside is spacious and airy, rather modern looking. The selection of donuts was looking a little ragged/worn down but I did stumble in at like 1:30; I'm sure it's more impressive in the morning. I didn't see any of their seasonal flavors on display but maybe I needed to come earlier.

Other than donuts, they have a few other menu items like coffee, breakfast sandwiches, etc. I didn't need lunch and the donuts looked big enough to share so I limited myself to an order of one to split with my husband for dessert later that night. I selected the Reese's style donut, which came with chocolate glaze and a generous drizzle of peanut butter.

The employees were fine! The girl who helped me had a very low/quiet voice and I honestly struggled a little to understand her but from what I did hear she was nice and got the job done!

Now these donuts aren't really like standard donuts; they're more like the very trendy cronut or whatever portmanteau suits your preference -- it's a croissant/donut hybrid. This works great for me as I prefer a croissant texture to the insanely sugary spun air texture of the average fried donut. I was surprised at how much moisture this donut managed to maintain since we didn't eat it til before bed at around 9 PM. Pleasantly surprised it really wasn't stale at all. I liked the amount of peanut butter. It was quite sweet but not nauseatingly so. However, it did have a strange aftertaste; I'll attribute it to the chocolate but I'm not 100% sure. Not completely unpleasant but it's a shame it didn't end on a high note like how it started.

I'd be curious to return and try other flavors to see if the aftertaste is chocolate glaze related or not. I'd try one of the cinnamon sugar type donuts next. Aftertaste or not, I prefer these to Krispy Kreme and could definitely see myself purchasing again if I needed donuts for a gathering...

Dear Parlor Donuts Management, I am writing to express my profound dissatisfaction with my recent visit to your Huntsville location, an experience that starkly contrasted with the exceptional quality I have come to expect from Parlor Donuts across the Southeast. Your donuts are undeniably outstanding in taste and quality, which is precisely why I have consistently sought out your establishments. However, the restrictive and poorly justified policies at your Huntsville store have left me deeply frustrated and compelled to voice my concerns. On my visit, I intended to purchase a half dozen of a specific donut flavor, only to be informed by the staff that I was limited to just two donuts per flavor—despite the fact that six of my desired flavor were visibly available. The explanation provided was utterly unacceptable: the limitation was purportedly due to "display" purposes, as certain flavors "aren’t selling." This arbitrary restriction not only undermines customer satisfaction but also defies logic when the requested items are clearly in stock. Had I not driven across town specifically for your donuts, I would have walked out immediately. This policy forced me to inconvenience my family by calling my children to select alternative flavors, only to discover that one of their preferred choices—French Toast—was unavailable. The entire experience was unnecessarily complicated and frustrating, detracting significantly from the enjoyment of your otherwise exceptional product. I strongly urge you to reconsider this restrictive policy at the Huntsville location. Limiting customers to two donuts per flavor, especially when stock is available, is an affront to the loyalty and enthusiasm of your patrons. I have visited numerous Parlor Donuts locations throughout the Southeast without ever encountering such an absurd constraint, and I am appalled that this location deviates so drastically from your brand’s commitment to customer...