thomas donut & snack shop

not great, not clean, lazy staff. dirty: the wooden tables featured plenty of used food wrappers, napkins, and crumbs. there were many counter girls standing around not doing anything, without bothering to clean up the tables. another gross thing: the two restrooms share just the one towel dispenser located outside the restrooms (meaning, you'll be unlocking and opening your door with wet hands). the dispenser is broken, so the towel door is left hanging open in case you want to reach into the heap of wet towels to get one. if it’s true you can judge a kitchen’s cleanliness by the cleanliness of the bathroom and dining area, then i’d hate to see this place’s kitchen.

food: very limited kids’ menu – hot dog, corn dog, or fried chicken strips (weird, hard, nearly blackened). adults had unrecognizable chicken nuggets ($6) which were weird little bread balls, almost no meat. decent burger. grilled chicken sandwich made from a frozen patty. nearly everything else on the menu is deep-fried. we got their “famous hand-made donuts” and they really aren’t special or memorable. other than wal-mart donuts and grocery-store donuts, these are some of the least-interesting, least well-made donuts i’ve ever had. they may have been day-old, i’m not sure. my kids love good donuts and they did eat these but didn't comment on them and didn't ask for seconds.

service problems: we waited a very long time (half hour?!) for their fast food. there are so many girls trying to work the register areas that they are tripping over each other. halfway through our meal we figured out they forgot one of our entrees so i went back to the counter. the girl ignored me so she could wander off and check her cell phone twice. one of the older ladies glanced at me and went about her business, not helping customers and just ignoring me. finally the cell phone girl returned and asked “did you want something” after a minute she found the chicken strips just laying around in the kitchen. i was surprised that no one bothered to figure out why the cooked food was not going out. she handed it to me without a word. the family that ordered after us had the same problem: 30 minutes after they ordered, after they got some of their food, the mother was back up at the counter saying they were "still waiting" for two of the things they had ordered. and again, the food was immediatley located in the kitchen and provided. it wasn't that it didn't get made, it was just that it didn't get served. so what they have is an expediting problem - the kitchen puts up the food, and the gaggle of girls buzzing about just doesn't notice it or doesn't care (too many facebook updates to read, i guess) and the only way to get your food is to keep going back, asking for whatever they forgot.

hours/location: they advertise new hours, open 7 days a week now, so no more surprise wednesday closings. good location for beach access, as you can walk right across the road to a nice-looking section of the beach with no commercial operations (jet skis, rental chairs, etc.) taking up public space. but you’d be better off brining a picnic than planning to make do with this sad place.

been going here since i was a kid. it's been wonderful every time. try the kelache's, they're to die for. watch out for line cutters though, they're quite abundant.

charming, clean, inexpensive & good. visited the shop on a thursday morning around 8:30. it was busy, but not crowded. our time in line was brief. we tried 5 different donuts, dining indoors. every donut was great--fresh and flavorful. love the large selection. we didn't try the biscuits or other items, but they looked good. interior is clean and cozy, with lacquered picnic tables--unpretentious. there's a covered area outside with picnic tables, too, if you prefer the outdoors. the shop is right across the street from the beach, so there's a nice breeze all the time. our server at the window was friendly and helpful. prices were good. definitely recommend. only down side for us is that one of our kids is gluten-free. the only gluten-free items on the menu were the eggs and meats. usually we don't go into donut shops when she's traveling with us, but on this occasion, she didn't mind as she wasn't especially hungry. i don't hold this against the shop, but usually we would not have visited the place due to the lack of gluten-free options. would be nice if they offered chex g-free cereals, grits, hashbrowns, etc. as gluten-free options. i saw grits on the online menu, but didn't see them on the menu at the shop. regardless, great place for breakfast.

worth the wait. first time going to thomas. donuts were awesome!!

not much to say about this place except amazing!!!!'

wow! best donuts i have ever had! we also had a couple of their biscuit sandwiches, incredible. very cheap, very fresh, and a must go to place while in the area!

good donuts... i recommend the long johns. most days they lack friendly service, but today they were actually pleasant. the grumpy old lady who normally works the window was missing and replaced by some younger girls. i hope they are a permanent replacement as it made the experience much better.

stopped here with the kids on a rainy day and to quote my daughter "this is the best food i ever had." i don't know that i'd go that far, but it is one of our better stops thus far.

get the red velvet

i do not see why people wait in line for this place. it's not bad but nothing to stand and wait forever for. they are just doughnuts nothing amazing.

best.donuts.ever!!!!! epic!!!. not only did my partner and i read rave reviews about thomas's, we were also told by many people to make sure we go there while we were in pcb. our hotel was a couple of miles from thomas's, so we had to drive by it a few times throughout the day and noticed the line wrapped around the place....everytime!!! we got up early one morning and drove over, there was a short wait, not too long. instead of breakfast we decided on a dozen mixed donuts, since that's all we've heard about, the donuts. the wide variety of flavors was unbelievable. some of our favorites were key lime, peaches and cream,devils food cake, white cream, custard, apple and the sour cream donuts. the donuts themselves were cooked to perfection, they literally melt in your mouth and burst with amazing flavor. i honestly can not even remember what a krispy kreme tastes like now ;) best donuts ever, we look forward to visiting again next time we're in town.

best donuts ever! everyone else thinks so, too, so if you don't go early, be prepared to wait!!! someone call guy fieri on diners, drive-in's and dives!!!!

since childhood, still delish.. my dad used to take me here on saturday mornings when i was a kid. i recently had the treat of visiting and it was nostalgic and still great! blueberry cake and sour cream donuts are the bomb!! a great little place to take the kids and you can't beat the view!

delicious delicious delicious. i can't help it - i love donuts. and this place is the best. they also serve biscuits before 10 am that are absolutely fantastic.

i used to come here as a child after a long morning at the beach and order lunch. it's got one of the best views on the beach, and is one of those classic unchanged elements of the west end that is undeniably "bay county."

donuts on the shore. the best thing about thomas' donuts & snack shop has to be their location, that and the fact that during the off season they are still open. they have a lot of different donuts to enjoy (i recommend going early to get the best selection). i might consider this to be the best donut shop in town had i not been to dan-d donuts off harrison in panama city. after eating their donuts no other donut quite measures up.