Bring in the boxing ring. American competitor vs the good, ol’ Canadian standby.
Round one: Presentation (Kevin from The Office: “That means what it looks like…)
T: Great, attractive packaging for any amount ordered.
S: One giant box even if you’d only like half a dozen. I find myself usually purchasing three. One for me, one for my spouse and one for me for later while winding down from the tornado kids.. When and if a “6 doughnut box” existed I would prolly load up to maximum capacity. Instead, I would rather have my three remain un-squished and unsullied in the paper bag.
Round Two: Taste & Freshness
T: Dry out much quicker and are made somewhere other than the respective location. They’ve got some great combinations (Honey Crueller,-on the light side, eggy, nice balance of sweet, fun design.
Yet, I’m still surprise that others are still around (Double Chocolate tastes like coffee granules were substituted for the cocoa during mixing.
Beware of any fritter—usually there is a substantial portion of the middle that remains raw.
S: Made on site, every day. There is nothing better than fresh. Nuff said. S’s doughnuts are light and chewy with slight bread taste to compliment the sweetness. Sometimes I’m really wishing for a slightly thicker icing to balance the bread side of things.
Do your own freshness test. Buy a few from each place and see how long they last on your counter. P.S. Works best in a paper bag to allow limited air flow. Do not, repeat DO NOT seal your little, baked goods in Tupperware. They need air.
Round Three: Aftertaste
T: Sometimes my tummy hurts after consuming a T.H. doughy morsel. Maybe it’s the preservatives. (No, I doughnut pig out thus creating abdominal discomfort. Sheesh.)
S: I’m ready for another. No pain there.
Although, I must flesh out a negative here, Yesterday I shared a fill morsel with my spouse and the filing had a ring of rancidity to it (oil-based product.) Somebody cut a corner. Oops, Mr. or Mrs. Baker person.
Round Four: Availability
S: Friday is their busiest day so double batches are ordered up. My fave there is the Glazed Croissant drizzled in chocolate. And they do not disappoint. Deelish.
T: Hit and miss. My fave is the Sour Cream Glazed and quite honestly either location can’t guarantee them consistently. Perhaps they should supply more for the demand, hmm? I’ve tried finding them on different days of the week, different times of the day and various seasons throughout the YEAR. Clearly I spend too much of my time trying to perfect their supply science. At any rate, I was frustrated so I started looking elsewhere. (Enter Safeway doughnuts.)
Round Five: Cost
S: Usually a single doughnut will run you somewhere in the ballpark of 70 cents. I believe I’ve seen them for as low as 49 cents.
T: Almost one dollar. What is it, 85/89 cents? And they’re smaller. Even when comparing apples to apples, they’re still smaller.
Round Six: Business Hours
S: 7-11pm
T: All the time. But don’t let this fool you. Because their product is not made on site means you can’t have it at 3am.
Overall, I’m a Safeway fan. Dear Safeway, could you build a drive-thru? I would love you even more.
Safeway GRADE: A-
Timmy’s GRADE: B-
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