The Donut Man — Restaurant in Winter Haven

I came in for the first time today and had an awful experience from the start. Me and my family were extremely excited to try a new place as we do every week. The service there was the worst service I’ve ever received. I’ve been a Server for six years. I don’t know if the ladies there were having a bad day Or they are always just like this. But every single one of the four woman had an attitude. I came inside, I asked for five sandwiches and 3 drinks. I heard the lady in the back with an attitude say “they should’ve called it in with that order” then I get my smoothie and it’s not even blended correctly at all. So I don’t say anything and I order a new drink. When the lady gives me the new drink she asked if I didn’t like the one I had with an attitude, I told her no, she then told me she would take the smoothie off my ticket. The young boy came over told me my total would be $24. The older lady decided she was going to ring me up instead and charged me $37 I thought it was bizarre to see the price change and asked for a receipt. All the ladies came around the cash register rolling there eyes and making whisper side comments. I don’t appreciate the customer service here. The atmosphere was a dirty broken down place. The food was decent I got a burrito, and a mocha coffee. But I definitely would’ve liked to see some grown ladies show some respect to their customers. A different customer had came in while I was waiting for my order waited 5 minutes at the register and asked if he could get some service and the lady making my smoothie said “no we are busy” with an attitude! He said that he wouldn’t be back. Then he left and all the ladies were talking about him out loud saying that he was inconsiderate. Which I find inappropriate, due to the lack of communication on the ladies end not telling him that you would be right there or to give you a minute. They just let him stand there awaiting. Other ladies were standing around...

This was a good donut shop but Hole-in-One in Lakeland is better. My husband and I were looking for other options because we recently moved and our daughter in the Navy is an absolute donut connoisseur and is visiting soon and we wanted to find an amazing donut shop. Sadly, we will probably keep looking for the best-of-the-best.

Our thoughts: The red velvet was a bit dry. The strawberry fritter was not good at all. The glazed was really so-so. My husband really liked the boston cream. The maple bacon was VERY good but the bacon comes in strips which is odd because when you take a bite the whole piece of bacon comes off in your mouth. We have had other maple bacon donuts where the bacon is cut up in pieces which is better but this was the best of the ones we had here.

The caramel iced coffee was good. They were not busy at all at around 10:30am-ish on Sunday morning which we found quite surprising?

The parking lot is small but the place has obviously been there and a staple business for years. Overall, it is a good place with a great diner feel. We are glad we tried this place and will probably be back eventually to try other donuts... if we don't get all health conscious and ban them from our lives 😂 (not much danger of that!) This place is...

The donuts are good and always seem to be fresh, and the sandwiches are delicious. I don't drink coffee so I can't speak to it, but it's generic diner drip coffee in a self-serve carafe that sits on a hot plate so it can't be great.

So why 2 stars?

First, the condition of the place. Inside and out it looks like not a penny has been spent on maintenance or upkeep - the ceiling tiles are falling, the paint is peeling, the tables and chairs are rusty, the laminate is peeling off the countertops and the furniture and fittings are barely holding together. Signs and decorations are strewn everywhere randomly, barely hanging on and kept up with duct tape in some places. I can't imagine what the kitchen looks like if this is how they present their restaurant to customers.

Second, the staff is absolutely feral. "Unprofessional" doesn't begin to describe the children working here. They were loudly gossiping, insulting each other with profanity, and complaining about customers who had just left. Three of them were sitting around doing nothing while there was trash and food all over the floor and counters. It's clear that there is no management, no training, and no standards for...