Is Mister Donut’s all-you-can-eat Donut Buffet still worth it?

We love Japan’s favorite donut chain as much as the next foodie, but you’ve got to eat a lot to get your money’s worth.

Looking back, the last time we didn’t want to eat a donut was…uh, actually, we’re not sure. We seem to vaguely remember that there may have been somewhere in our past when we weren’t craving one, but we’re pretty sure it was back in our infant days. Since graduating to solid foods, though, we can’t seem to recall ever not having at least a background craving for donuts, especially since, here in Japan, we’re never very far from a branch of Mister Donut.

Mister Donut is an especially good place to indulge in our donut-y desires, since not only do they have an array of delicious treats, they’ve also been quickly expanding the availability of their all-you-can-eat deal, which they call the “Donut Buffet.” It’s now available at 108 branches nationwide, and six in Tokyo (at the Nakano, Machiya, Oyama, Hachioji Narahara Copio, Seiyu Fussa, and Hamura branches).

However, Mister Donut now charges 2,000 yen (US$12.90) for adults for an all-you-can-eat session, double what they originally did when they launched the Donut Buffet service 10 years ago, so can we still get our money’s worth? To find out, we dispatched two of our reporters, P.K. Sanjun and Ahiruneko, representing the larger-than-average and smaller-than-average-appetite demographics, respectively.

▼ P.K. (left) and Ahiruneko (right)

Here’s how the Donut Buffer works: you get 60 minutes in which to eat as many donuts, muffins, or pies as you want. You’re allowed to order up to six at a time, and can get another batch once you’ve finished off your batch. Also included in the 2,000-yen price (or 850 yen for kids) are unlimited soft drinks such as tea or coffee.

Though they hadn’t discussed strategies beforehand, P.K. and Ahiruneko opted for similar opening gambits, each selecting three donuts and one pie to start. Their logic was that since Mister Donut, as a donut chain, has a lot of sweet items on its menu, the saltiness of the pie crust would make for a nicely invigorating accent flavor/palate cleanser.

P.K. polished off his first tray in no time at all, and quickly bounded back to the counter to get two more donuts and another pie. Ahiruneko, meanwhile, was eating at a much slower pace.

Feeling no compunction about his coworker’s condition, P.K. launched himself with gusto into his second plate. We should note here that not all of Mister Donut’s pies have sweet feelings.

Some are savory in nature, so the Donut Buffet can be both lunch/dinner and dessert if you want it to be. After staring off with a sausage pie in his first tray, P.K. switched things up with a meat sauce and mashed potato pie in his second batch, and the meaty, salty notes felt all the more intense following the sweets he’d scarfed down just before.

▼ P.K.’s “I love this meat sauce mashed potato pie sooooo much!” face

Eventually, Ahiruneko moved on to his second batch too, but also became unable to say anything other than repeatedly murmuring “…Double Chocolate…Double Chocolate…”, with the Mister Donut offering of the same name that he’d eaten in his first batch having left the deepest impression on his taste buds and the heaviest one in his stomach.

Before time was up, P.K. managed to fit in one more batch, bringing his total for the 60-minute all-you-can-eat course to six donuts, three pies, and three drinks. Ahiruneko’s numbers were four donuts, three pies, and three drinks.

So did they come out ahead on this deal? Let’s add up what they ate and drank.

● P.K. Sanjun
Frankfurter Pie: 253 yen
Cinnimon Ring: 176 yen
Dora Matcha Tsubuan Hana Whipped Cream: 341 yen
Zakuzaku Custard French: 209 yen
Meat Sauce and Mashed Potato Pie: 264 yen
Sugar Raised: 176 yen
Pon de Uji Matcha Azuki Matcha Warabimochi: 275 yen
Butter Chicken Curry Pie: 264 yen
Plain Pon de Ring: 176 yen
Iced Coffee: 297 yen
Iced Coffee: 297 yen
Orange Juice: 297 yen
Total: 3,025 yen

● Ahiruneko
Angel French: 187 yen
Sugar Raised: 176 yen
Double Chocolate: 187 yen
Frankfurter Pie: 253 yen
Butter Chicken Curry Pie: 264 yen
Plain Pon de Ring: 176 yen
Meat Sauce and Mashed Potato Pie: 264 yen
Iced Oolong Tea: 264 yen
Iced Earl Grey Tea: 297 yen
Iced Coffee: 297 yen
Total: 2.365 yen

So yes, both of them got their money’s worth, with P.K. eating/drinking 1,025 yen more than the 2,000 yen he’d paid for the Donut Buffet, and Ahiruneko 365 yen more. It’s probably worth noting, though, that both of them also had multiple savory pies, and they also had three drinks each, and if you subtract those out. So if you’re thinking about giving Mister Donut’s all-you-can-eat deal a go, the best plan is probably to show up not just when you want donuts, but when you’re also jungry for meal, and thirsty too.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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