We Don't Walk Slow

The Breakfast Conundrum

After 5 years of serving me a shitty breakfast, I put my foot down. I will no longer be giving the 3rd and Spring Garden Dunkin Donuts my business. I don’t have a personal problem with the guy who toasts the bagel but he’s terrible at his job. He aims for speed rather than serving a proper bagel. That being said, I’m looking for new options and here is the breakdown.

Dunkin Donuts

Location: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
Price: ⋆⋆⋆⋆ – $4.87 for a medium coffee, sesame seed bagel w/ cream cheese, and a glazed donut.
Analysis: If you are interested in my breakdown you can read this post. The bottom line is that the bagel tastes like shit even though I’m addicted to their coffee. The price is decent and the location is perfect which is why I’ve gone there as often as I have. Wait time can be long if there is a line.

Johnny’s Hots

Location: ***
Price: ** – $6.00 for a sausage, egg, and cheese + a Lemon Snapple
Analysis: Johnny’s Hot’s is on Columbus near the Sugar House. This requires me to drive about 5 minutes to get there which isn’t horrible but it’s not great either. The price is hefty if I add a drink. I think the sandwich is tasty and the staff is nice. Wait time is usually 3-5 minutes as it’s cooked to order.

Wawa

Location: ⋆
Price: ⋆⋆⋆ – $4.54 for a bacon, egg, and cheese sizzli and a medium coffee
Analysis: I can drive to the one on 11th and Race which I saw was shutting down, the one on 21st and Hamilton, or the one on Columbus near Club Risque. Each one takes 5-10 minutes which is longer than I’d like to go for breakfast. The price is what I consider exactly average and the sizzli is the sizzli that I’ve grown to expect. It’s average. I can make the coffee myself which I like but I don’t think that puts Wawa over the top. Parking at any of them but Columbus can be an absolute nightmare which means if I’m not there by 7:30, forget about it.

Sassafras

Location: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Price: ⋆⋆ – $5.34 for a sausage, egg, and cheese on a sesame seed bagel, and a Half and Half Nantucket Nectar
Analysis: The price is fairly high for a homemade breakfast sandwich. It takes about 4-5 minutes for the sandwich to be prepared and if there is a line (which there never is) it could add minutes. It’s right on my way to work on parking is free on the street as long as I get there by 8am. The sandwich is above average.

Spring Garden Restaurant

Location: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
Price: ⋆ – 7.00+ tip
Analysis: A restaurant that opens at 4 or 5 in the morning and cooks quickly. It’s sit down so I’d have to allocate at least 20 minutes to the meal which is what usually keeps me away. It will also cost upwards of 7 bucks plus tip which would get pricey for breakfast. I always liked the idea of waking up early and reading the paper at a diner with the regulars. For whatever reason, I don’t do it often. I’ve only ever gotten the omelet for breakfast and it’s average.

Conclusion

As you can read, it’s not an easy decision. Each one has their perks and downsides. Of course I could just make my breakfast at home which I’m leaning more and more to but I haven’t quite got there yet. My perfect world would be waking up, pee / brush my teeth, out the door, drive to work where a breakfast cart sells me a sausage egg and cheese for $3.00. Has anyone tried Subway breakfast? I could also include Plaza Pizza in this list but haven’t had it enough.

By Tom Stortz|2015-06-24T08:25:18-04:00June 24th, 2015|My Life|2 Comments

A Letter From a Dunkin Customer

Dear Dunkin Donuts (I’ve posted this on their Google Reviews Page),

The line can get very long on mornings and I understand that this causes a rush scenario. It doesn’t help that employee turnover at your location is high and this creates a list of people who have no idea what they’re doing. I have one major gripe though that cannot go unnoticed any longer: My bagel does not get toasted.

The precise amount of toasting.

When you ask me what I want and I say a TOASTED sesame seed bagel with cream cheese my expectations of toasted are seeing some noticeable color change on the bagel. I personally have no problem if the bagel gets toasted up until the point of “burnt”. I’d even accept a hint of brown as being toasted. However, you seem to think that “toasted” means “taken for a ride on a conveyor”. As much as the bagel appreciates going for a ride on a machine before it enters my stomach, this is not doing the job.

Considering I’ve been to other Dunkin establishments, I know this problem is not universal. I actually think other Dunkin bagels that get toasted are delicious. In an effort to speed up the line, this franchise has an unacceptable toasting protocol. This can be rectified by purchasing a new toaster which I believe may be an issue because the dial is actually turned to high. I’ve probably eaten hundreds of bagels from your establishment over the years so this isn’t a fly by night critique. If your coffee wasn’t so addicting I probably would never eat there at all.

Your 2.2 rating with 12 reviews on Google is an indication that you are doing a poor job and this is because of the lack of attention to detail. I personally think you are a solid 3 with room to move to a 4 if you start toasting my bagel. As a shareholder of the company, I hope this comes with peace and love and not me being an asshole.

Written with subjective criticism,

Thomas Stortz

By Tom Stortz|2015-04-22T08:33:28-04:00April 22nd, 2015|My Brain|4 Comments

My Daily Intake

I think people might be interested in what I eat on a daily basis. I’m a person of routines and I don’t change what I eat all that often. Here is a typical day that keeps me running.

Breakfast:
Sesame Seed Bagel w/ Cream Cheese – 360 Calories
Glazed Donut – 260 Calories
Medium Coffee w/ Cream & Sugar – 120 calories
Total = 740 Calories

Lunch
Turkey Club w/ Mayo – 510 Calories
Bag of Dirty BBQ Chips – 150 Calories
Cherry Coke – 150 Calories
Total = 810 Calories

Dinner
10″ Meatball Sub w/ American Cheese – 693 Calories
Smartfood – 240 Calories
Lemon Snapple – 80 Calories
Total – 1013 Calories

That gives me a total of 2563 calories a day. I pretty much never snack so this is a pretty accurate depiction. This doesn’t mean I won’t eat the occasional cookie or milk shake or whatever but it’s not a daily deal. I also think the obvious thing to mention is this doesn’t include alcohol days. For instance, on a Friday I decide to have some beers and drink from 5pm to 2am and consume 15 pints. That’s 15 x 150 calories or 2250 calories. That compares roughly to my daily intake. Now when I say I’m not hungry after a night of drinking, you see why. I also want to point out that I run 3-5 miles 4-5 times a week which is obviously important to being healthy. I’m not saying my diet is good but I don’t have a whole lot of EXTRA trash being put in my system. I’m sure I could eat way better but I have to ask why? I’m not fat, I feel good, and I’m happy eating all these foods because they taste good and I like them. I don’t have to eat shitty tasting food because I’m watching my weight. Also, how does Smartfood ahve 240 calories? I also am aware that I’m only looking at calories which isn’t a great breakdown of these foods. Anyone find this interesting when they compare it to what they eat?