The Dutch Oven Bakery — Restaurant in Littlefield Township

I recently had a really unpleasant experience at a deli run by some older women. The place itself felt off—creepy atmosphere, low inventory, and the bread looked stale. For $17, I expected much better for a sandwich and two donuts.

The real issue happened when I approached the counter. I watched one of the women sweeping trash into a dustpan, and without washing her hands or wearing gloves, she looked at me with an attitude and asked, "What do you want?" I politely ordered a sandwich, and she responded with, "I have to see if we even have bread," which was odd since it wasn’t even lunchtime.

Then she starts making the sandwich—no gloves, no hand washing. I asked her to please wash her hands and wear gloves. She rolled her eyes, didn’t wash her hands, and only put on one glove! She continued to touch the meat and cheese with her bare hands, which was just beyond gross. I politely asked her if she could wash her hands and put on gloves because I had just watched her pick up trash from the ground and handle a dustbin that looked really gross. Anyone working with food, especially making sandwiches, should always be wearing gloves. It's just basic health practice. More than that, it's a sign of respect to your customers. When you wash your hands and wear gloves, it shows that you care about their well-being and don’t want to pass on any germs or contamination. It’s such a simple gesture, but it says a lot about how much you value your guests.

I mentioned it to her colleague, who didn’t seem to care either, so I won’t...

We lived in Alanson for 25+ years, moving downstate in 2018. We frequently went to the Dutch Oven for their baked goods, soups and sandwiches. We knew the previous owner Theresa S on a first name basis. When we left Alanson the bakery was up for sale. We noticed a few years ago it had sold to new owners. Upon our return visit north on July 3 2025 we were excited to see the bakery and visit. Upon pulling up and walking up to the entry we immediately were alarmed at the 'upkeep' (or lack thereof). The exterior was pathetic. Peeling paint, weeds in supposed "flower boxes" a supposed 'outdoor patio' that was full of weeds, dead grass etc. If the exterior of the building were any indication of the products inside, we knew it would not be what it used to be. Inside, the ice cream case was gone, the bakery cases had virtually no inventory and the clerks hardly said two words. Very disappointing. I know COVID put the hurt on a lot of small businesses, I also know the Dutch Oven had a great reputation and great baked goods. What we just witnessed is not the Dutch...

Can't speak to the bakery side of things (or yarn, i guess), but our "cafe" experience was straight out of a culinary horror film. My Girlfriend and I chose to stop here as opposed to the Subway across the street because it was a local spot and appeared like a cozy spot. We both ordered breakfast burritos (priced around 8 bucks.) As we were waiting we happened to notice that the girls making these were heating them up in the microwave. We asked if the burritos were made fresh and they said of course, they had just "mixed up the eggs YESTERDAY morning." Furthermore, as we watched them make our food they were not only not wearing gloves, but as crumbs of the pasty day old egg mix fell onto the same counter they kept all their stuff on, they used their fingers to stick the eggs up and then sprinkle them back into the tortilla like a crusty booger.

You know, despite the horrible name I thought I'd give this place a chance. We walked out and went to Subway. Don't go to...