Love Bugs Bakery and Donuts — Restaurant in West Melbourne

I'm torn about love bug bakery. Online and on their store page it does show that they are open until 1 PM. That is technically true. However, I would qualify them as being closed well before 10:45 AM.

I arrived with the coupons I received in the mail to try them out, having never tried them out before, and saw that every single one of their donuts was gone. So even if I wanted to try at that point, it wasn't going to happen and I didn't have a choice.

So being a business that pride yourself on donuts and being sold out more than two hours before you close to me is unacceptable. However, this may speak volumes for how good these donuts would be if I was able to try them.

So I decided to use the other coupon I had to assist in me getting a breakfast sandwich. The breakfast sandwich I wanted came on a cronut, but they were also out of that so I was unable to get it on that. So ordering two different sandwiches I went ahead and let them know that I was good to go. When I presented her with the coupon that allowed me to get that breakfast sandwich half off with an order of hashbrowns, the one individual that took that order seemed to almost roll her eyes at that coupon.

Not a great first impression for someone that's trying out your place for the first time due to these coupons.

I then ended up browsing some of their muffins while I was waiting and getting a banana nut muffin because they were out of the one muffin I did want, which was the French toast muffin as you can see from the photo.

So with my best guess if you are looking to come here, I would definitely recommend coming before 10 AM.

The saving grace was the one team member that when realizing they forgot to put my hashbrowns in the bag, ran it out to me to my car to get my attention.

The two sandwiches we got were OK. Nothing fantastic, and I can tell definitely not what they are known for.

So far, I am far from impressed.

The ambience and vibe but the inside is acute diner vibe. Actually, I would go as far as to say it's more of a café. Seems like a nice place to enjoy breakfast if you're going to sit in.

I hope to be back to actually be able to try the donuts, but they are known for, but the hassle of this in the experience encourages me not to.

I will update this review once I'm actually able to try their donuts.

P.S. - while I was waiting for mine I saw at least two parties come in to look and possibly order, only to see that every single thing has been sold out, and then...

On 10/05/2024, Love Bugs Bakery added a tip onto my bill without my permission. When it came time to pay, the cashier told me how much it was and said "put in your card." I inserted the card in the chip reader, and it automatically paid the bill. I touched nothing on the machine or on the touch screen because there were no options for me to select. I only had to pay. When I got home, I saw that I'd been charged $2.96 for a tip I never authorized.

When I contacted the owner about what happened, he tried to gaslight me by saying I had "accidentally" selected a tip. That's impossible because the screen showed nothing for me to approve. I only had to insert my card. The owners never apologized or accepted any responsibility. If I hadn't asked for my receipt at checkout, I never would have noticed.

The owner then tried to say they can't add a tip at the cash register. That's patently false for point-of-sale systems that calculate tip percentages. (Just try ordering over the phone, and then ask the worker to add a tip. I guarantee they can.) Again, the owner tried to gaslight me by saying I did it on my side. My husband was there and witnessed the entire transaction.

I've attached a copy of my receipt.

This wasn't about the $2.96. It always was about the integrity of Love Bugs. Had they apologized and said they'd look into it, then I would have dropped the issue. However, by trying to gaslight me, the owner made me wonder if this has been happening to others. The store doesn't automatically give receipts when you buy something. If the customers don't ask for their receipts, they might never know if they're paying unauthorized tips.

Love Bugs should be ashamed.

UPDATE: The Love Bugs response is another failed attempt at gaslighting. The employee did everything from the register. I only inserted my card. They got caught and are doubling down with misdirection. Why would I bring this to light if it didn't happen? I have no reason to.

I can't be the first they've done this to. Even I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't asked for my receipt. They probably did it to me before when I DIDN'T get me receipt. They lost a...

My first experience of my to-go order was supposed to be a lightly toasted sesame bagel (they were out of whole wheat) with a fried egg and swiss cheese. What I got was a bagel not toasted, a single egg fried and no cheese. My son threw half of his out as he said it was disgusting. (He's 19 and eats everything.) I called to let them know how disappointed I was and they give me a certificate to make up for it.

When I called to place a to go order this morning they didn't answer the first two times I called. The third time they answered and put me on hold indefinitely. A young man finally took the call and couldn't get the order right. After repeating it several times I asked him to please repeat it back to me which he did and it was correct. When I went to pick up my order the woman at the cash register was looking down doing something and didn't acknowledge me standing in front of her. When she did look up and I gave her my name for the to-go order someone from behind the counter came and asked her a question. She walked away from me to help him find/create some boxes without even saying anything to me! When she did come back she said she didn't know of a to-go order....then someone else handed it to her. It wasn't until I got to my destination that my "whole wheat bagel, lightly toasted with two fried eggs and swiss cheese" was found to be whole wheat bread (soggy) with scrambled eggs and cheese. My friends order that I picked up also seemed to be fine. I ate what I could and enjoyed the company of my friend until she had to leave.

I then called the bakery to tell them of the situation and was asked if I still had the sandwich. I said no I ate what I could, but was again dissatisfied. I was told that they was nothing that could be done about it....not that I was looking for a credit or replacement...but acknowledgement....or an apology....or I will make sure nothing like that happens again....would have been nice.

Customer service goes a long way....in...