Peace, Love and Little Donuts of St. Augustine — Restaurant in Saint Augustine

This review will span two visits. The first was great, the second, not so great.

First, I was here last July (2023). It was cute, the decor great and the staff were SO sweet. I even got a tie-dye crop top that I STILL wear. It felt good and knew I would want to go back. The donut selection, even at night, was pretty big. I got a whole bunch and got to enjoy them over my trip.

I was just there today with two college students of mine. One is an ADA permanent wheelchair user. We were at Kookaburra grabbing a coffee and my student needed the restroom. Kookaburra's was out of order. We went to the staff to ask for the employee one, but her wheelchair wouldn't fit. 10/10 for them willing to try! I brought her to Peace, Love, and Little Donuts, because of the positive experience before. The restrooms are for customers only. Kookaburra also let us know this fact about the Donut shop too. I figured we try because I met the owner before and she was nice.

What I should have done was walk in, let my student go get in line to the bathroom, and I just order. However, we wanted to be respectful and ask first. So we did-the gentleman working the counter said we had to order FIRST before getting bathroom access. It's obvious he has to say this ALL the time. I don't blame him for being sick of saying it. In paraphrased words, "Once you place your order, you're good to go." It was clear that our group had to stay together. Money had to be paid FIRST. A person couldn't break off for another to visit the restroom. Well, the issue was for a permanent wheelchair user, you can't just wait, or walk to the public restrooms. The time to travel is slower for many reasons. 1. It takes a lot more energy to get around 2. Pedestrians block more than make room. 3. Simply accessing bathrooms from doors to the chair...it takes TIME. Which, in human biology terms DOES NOT EXIST. So, the long line to order (barrier #1) would cause a wait, then the long line to the bathroom (barrier #2) would be even longer. Then the owner came over and a conversation took place in front the establishment last a few good more minutes of wait (barrier #3).

First, I argued and I will admit I was incorrect in my argument that they are required to provide access for ADA even if not a paying customer. I openly argued this point in front of other patrons to the owner. I apologize for my argument of misinformation. There is Ally's Law, but it is currently not enforced in FL. The owner stated that Kookaburra's bathroom is always out of order to prevent public use of non-customers. I argued back and told what they were willing to do for us. I was direct, but did my very best to be respectful. The owner, she tried to match my energy in respectful and directness, but then tried to ask us to sympathize with her plight as a (new) business owner in a heavy traffic area and their risk of a damage, what SHE'S dealing with, over what a wheel-chair bound young adult is dealing with who can't simply "walk to the Governor's House public restrooms," (At the owner's suggestion). She also offered for us to "let all paying customers go first" before she let my student use the restroom, so more TIME because of the long line (barrier #4) (it's a single-room facility).

It wasn't until we were pulling away from the conversation that she finally was willing (we'd have to wait in the very same long line) but we were already leaving because biology doesn't believe in clocks and the line had only increased. We went the Governor's Mansion = inaccessibility because of it being under construction.

In my opinion, a simple act of human decency for a restroom ten feet away would have gone a long way for a young woman permanently in a wheelchair.

A "Sure, go ahead and if you don't mind just make a small purchase to be compliant with the business before you leave?" There was no kindness and it was hostile. Legally, she did not have to let my student use her restroom without paying (I now know). However, as a fellow human witnessing a disabled person asking for help in her...

It was a rainy afternoon when we stopped by so it was nice to be cheerfully greeted by the staff and the fun and brightly decorated store. They explained how the donuts are made to order and the different selections. If you didn't know, these are cake donuts but they are very light and not dense like the ones you purchase at the grocery store.

The girls were patient while we selected our flavors and the order was made quickly. We decided to try these flavors:

Samoa - pretty good and tasted like a samoa Key Lime - okay, a little more tarte than I would have liked Bananas Foster - my favorite, very good Strawberry cheesecake - pretty good and tasted like cheesecake Salted Caramel Macchiato - didn't like this one, the consistency of the icing was a little weird and it did not taste like a caramel macchiato at all Blueberry Lemon - good flavor and felt very seasonal

We also ordered a Peach Berry Lotus plant energy drink/spritzer. It was rather sweet for my taste and I didn't really feel more energy but it tasted okay.

There wasn't a lot of seating in the store but a lot of people opted to just pick up to-go so it wasn't really an issue. The restrooms need a code to enter so don't forget to ask the staff to let you in. (I thought someone was in the restroom and waited quite some time before I realized this.)

Also, parking can be a pain because the store is located in the main square but it's a great a place to walk to for a little snack while hanging out in the area.

Overall, this was a nice experience and I would definitely recommend...

I recently visited the donut shop and had an interesting experience that I felt compelled to share. As a fellow business owner, I understand the importance of respecting employees who are simply doing their job and following the rules.

During my visit, I witnessed an incident where a customer became agitated because they couldn't immediately access the bathroom without placing an order. Holly, who was assisting me at the time, handled the situation with grace and professionalism. Despite the customer's persistence, Holly remained calm and politely explained the shop's policy.

What impressed me most was Holly's composure and professionalism throughout the encounter. Despite the customer's escalating frustration, Holly maintained her professionalism and even revealed herself as the manager when requested.

As a business owner myself, I couldn't help but admire Holly's handling of the situation. Instead of allowing the customer's demands to disrupt the flow of service, Holly remained focused on her duties and ensured that all customers, including myself, received the attention and service we deserved.

In my opinion, Holly's conduct reflects positively on the donut shop and its management. If I were the owner, I would be proud to have someone like Holly representing my business. I commend Holly for her professionalism and commend the donut shop for having such dedicated employees.

OOH and the donuts here are delicious. We will be back next time we are in...