Danielle’s Bakery

Danielle’s Bakery has long been a staple in our neighborhood. It recently underwent a “Change in Management,” which basically meant the kids took over now that Danielle herself is sailing off into retirement. After hearing about some of the new menu items they were offering, we decided it was worth a trip to check it out.

First, there wasn’t really much “new” about the many, aside from they now offer a bunch of gluten free options for their cakes and breads, which honestly I appreciated. I, myself, don’t partake, but I know some kids in the neighborhood with allergies, and its great they can get in on the fun now too.

The one thing that WAS truly new, was their new Sugar-DoNut-Latte. I was skeptical at first, but I let the preparation get the best of me. Watching the barista carefully pour some art into the the center of a giant sugar doughnut really pulled me in. Then, unfortunately,. I tried a sip. Look, the idea is, well, an idea… but the execution is just NOT there. It was too sugary to begin with, but as I continued, the doughnut began to dissolve into the coffee, and I wound up with an oatmeal-textured latte that was not only chewy, but was lukewarm too.

There’s promise, but I doubt it’s something I’d make the walk for again, especially after getting a glimpse of the restroom.

Mid-beverage I decided to wander back to the code little single-seater in the back corner of the room. I was already regretting the latte, but the restroom only confirmed my disappointment.

At first glance, I thought “ok, this is kinda cool.” But the luster faded fast when I saw the poorly peeled paint lines. I get it, that’s no easy task to get a smooth edge, but if you’re gonna try something cool, like a multi-color geometric pattern, you can’t let it get sloppy.

Beyond the wall art, on closer inspection, the rest of the place just started to scream “half-assed.” Like my mushy latte holder, the whole place started to fall apart at every turn. The sink felt cute, until the basic store-bought hand soap dispenser fell into the sink after one pump. Upon fishing the soap out of the sink, I saw the air freshener was just a simple plug-in model, next to the sink… which kinda felt like a huge electrical hazard.

And now for the grand finale. I spotted this earlier in my journey, but this was to good to not save for last. I understand not all plumbing is plumbed equally, but when life plumbs you lemons, get yourself a decent sign to alert your customers. This whole taped on, hand-written piece felt more ambivalent than deliberate. Sad.

This place was not great. Maybe the straight tup doughnuts still hold their own, but that’s not what we were there for, and based on the state of their “redesigned” facilities, I’m not holding much hope for anything else on the menu. ⭐️⭐️ rating. I’m being generous because Danielle herself is a true gem and deserves better than whatever her kids did to this once standard staple.