Sometimes you want dessert, and you want it fast and convenient. That’s where sweet treat chains come in. They serve everything from ice cream to Japanese doughnuts, but, like all fast-food restaurants, not all are created equal. Here are some of the most overrated dessert chains in America that make us wonder how they’re still in business.
1. Baskin-Robbins
The last time anyone was excited to go to B&R was in the 1970s. It’s the place you go for ice cream when there are no other options around, or some kid wants an ice cream cake for their birthday (which are inexplicably hard as a rock or a melted puddle with no in-between). Sure, it’s ice cream, but it’s the most boring, “grandma used to go here as a kid” kind of ice cream.
2. Crumbl
We will never understand the hype around Crumbl. The cookies are extremely overpriced considering how flavorless most of them are. The chocolate chip cookie —the thing they should have down pat —is the worst of the bunch, which is inexcusable. The stores themselves feel sterile and unwelcoming. They’ve even tried to pass off a Rice Krispies treat as a $5 cookie. Come ON.
3. Nothing Bundt Cakes
Somehow, Nothing Bundt Cakes took over the bakery market while everyone wasn’t looking. They started appearing at all kinds of places they shouldn’t, too, like farmers’ markets and craft fairs. We love a good, old-fashioned bundt cake, but these taste like they were made in a factory. And can we talk about that incredibly dumb looking frosting design? Who came up with that?!
4. Krispy Kreme
Biting into a warm Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut is like deflating a grease-filled balloon. It’s an oily, slippery, and disappointing mess, and it’s supposed to be the best doughnut they make. While we do appreciate that the chain gives away free doughnuts pretty often, it’s hard to understand why there’s always such a long line in the drive-thru. Give us a local doughnut shop doughnut any day over Krispy Kreme.
5. Cold Stone Creamery
The idea of make-your-own-ice-cream is great, but in practice, it’s pretty uninspired. There aren’t that many ice cream flavors to choose from, and the mix-ins are surprisingly predictable and boring, too. Cold Stone is the kind of place to go once for the novelty of it, and then never again.
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6. Mochinut
Doughnuts at Mochinut have a wonderful chewy texture that’s the signature of mochi doughnuts, but the flavor is seriously lacking. Most of the rotating varieties are just variations on “churro” or “funnel cake,” which simply means the doughnut is rolled in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. Even glazes like Thai tea and ube are really bland, leaving us to wonder why anyone pays $3 per doughnut here. The cutesy decorations, like a gummy bear or Pocky stick, don’t make up for it.
7. Menchie’s
The froyo trend peaked over a decade ago, but somehow Menchie’s is still hanging around. If we want to treat ourselves to dessert, a “healthier” option like frozen yogurt is not going to satisfy. We also prefer to know how much our order is going to cost ahead of time, instead of that terrible pay-by-the-ounce nonsense. Between the focus on health and the surprise pricing, getting froyo is an exercise in restraint. That’s the opposite of what a dessert chain should be.
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