Daylight Donuts

A while back Daylight Donuts, apparently part of a massive chain (seriously, they have almost 1,000 locations spread over 28 states and several other countries) I had somehow never heard of, quietly opened a location on Fairview in Boise.  Seriously, they have almost as many stores as Krispy Kreme does.  I didn't know all of this when I visited them, I just knew I like doughnuts and am always on the hunt for good ones.  My heart told me that with that many locations, they must be doing something right, but my brain cautioned that Krispy Kreme has that many stores and they still ain't that good.  Only one way to find out though, right?

So I decided to go and get a selection to share with some of my loved ones last weekend.  The store was clean and well-stocked, and the staff was very friendly.  I chose a pretty standard assortment.

Glazed, chocolate cake, cinnamon twist, frosted with sprinkles, chocolate iced, old fashioned, and so on...

I can't tell you much about the ones shown above, because I didn't try them.  Here are the ones I DID try:

I don't know who first slapped bacon on a maple bar, but I think it's safe to say the concept was made famous by Voodoo Doughnut in Portland.  That makes sense to me anyway, because every version I've tried (and pretty much every place that sells doughnuts has them now) is just a pale imitation of Voodoo's.  Daylight's is no exception.  They have two versions available, one with a couple of strips of bacon slapped on top and another covered in crumbled bacon.  I chose the latter not because it looked to have more bacon on it, but because the bacon was burnt on all of the strip ones I saw.  Even the crumbled version had some burnt bits strewn throughout, and other bits were so chewy I ended up examining them closer to make sure they weren't plastic.  Not great quality bacon, in other words.  Also, I don't know if it was all that bacon or just the oil they fry their doughnuts in, but this thing left a very greasy feeling in my mouth.  I definitely won't be back for seconds.

The buttermilk doughnut was much more successful; perfectly glazed, nice and crispy crust on the outside and still fluffy within.  Still, it wasn't so good that I'll be rushing back anytime soon.  The consensus among my fellow munchers was very similar, a chorus of "okay", "not bad", "I've had worse", etc.  Looks like I'll continue to get my doughnut fix at Pastry Perfection and Guru.  Too bad, Daylight is a lot closer to home.

Food:  Had better, had worse.  C
Value:  Pretty standard for non-grocery store doughnuts.  B-
Service:  They definitely excel here.  A
Atmosphere:  Not bad at all, but then I'm not the type to sit and eat at a doughnut shop.  B
Final Grade:  C+