Krispy Kreme – ParentRooms

Reviewed by B

Overall: Basic, but everything is at a good height and position. Nappy change in disabled bathroom. High chair in restaurant.

Good Points: Door is easy to open and can be locked from the inside so there’s no chance of being interrupted mid nappy change. Low height toilet, sink and handryer. Sanitary bin is against the wall – yay!!

Bad Points: Nothing too major. The soap dispenser is a little high for little ones. No paper towels. I could only see one highchair in the restaurant, but it’s a donut shop so you’re not really likely to sit down for a full meal.

Wall mounted fold out change table

After an eventful morning trying to find a particular destination, my little one and I were both in a cranky mood and needed something to cheer us up – quickly! I knew Maccas and Krispy Kreme were on our side of the road on our return trip, so pulled in there with the intention of getting a happy meal and some playtime. BUT the golden arches restaurant was closed for construction – only the drive thru was open and we’d had more than enough of sitting in the car for one day.

So what did we do? We went right next door and into the cool, relaxed, sweet smelling Krispy Kreme. Right away we both felt rested. Must be the sugary love floating around the air hahaha!

Anyway, first things first….we headed to the toilets to see what Krispy Kreme had provided for mums and bubs.

Inside the restaurant, to the left, is the door leading to the male, female, disabled/baby change toilets. This first door could be a pain to open, being one of those swing pressure doors. But the door for the disabled/baby change toilet is easy. Push the handle down and push open the door, and it will stay open until you shut it behind you. Don’t have to worry about leaning your body or pram against it as you shuffle inside. It’s a pleasure to have a normal door for a change.

Nice, clean change table with straps to keep bub safe

In the top right corner of the bathroom is the wall mounted fold out baby change table. It’s clean, good height and has two nappy bins right underneath it. For little ones who are using the toilet, being a disabled bathroom the loo is actually at a decent height! And the safety/mobility rails will actually be helpful for little ones to get on and off the toilet.

Two nappy bins under the change table

The sink is at a good height for little ones to wash their hands but they may need to be on tippy toes or get a boost to reach the soap dispenser. There isn’t any paper towels for drying hands, just an auto hand dryer. If your little one is a bit scared of the noise those things make, be prepared for it. I sometimes get freaked out by them when the nappy bag swings past and sets it off. And little ones are just the right height to fit under them and have the signal click into full swing. Kind of funny but not at the same time.

Low level sink and hand dryer

Low height toilet with safety/mobility rails

We didn’t take the pram in with us because a good old leg stretch was needed for both of us, but it is a decent enough size bathroom to fit one in. It’s meant to fit a wheelchair so it should also cater for a pram. The hallway leading to the bathrooms may be a bit snug, but the bathroom itself is fine.

The highchair

So after checking out the bathroom, it was treat time!!!! Oohhhh the donut selection is a minefield. No point in even trying to figure out which is the healthiest option – just pick one already! Squirt made the decision for me, some chocolate coated caramel filled concoction – v delicious. We found some comfy, yet a bit tatty, chairs and hooked into our caramel-packed happiness filled food. I think it was a combo of the disastrous morning we had had and feeling well tired that made the donuts taste sooo good. Now I should let you know I could only find one highchair! But like I said in the good points/bad points…….you’re probably NOT going to have a sit down meal here so I don’t think it’s a major problem. However if you are wanting to use one, it’s clean and has straps to keep your angel in place. So go check it out!

Reviewed by B
Overall: Great pit stop. Nappy change only, but you could rest & feed in the store area.
Good points: There are two baby change facilities. One in the female bathroom and the other in the disabled bathroom. Clean, well maintained bathrooms. The store has comfortable booth seating inside, plus regular hard tables and chairs inside and out. Kids are entertained watching the donuts being made from start to finish (i still love watching it!). Lovely friendly staff during the weekdays.
Bad Points: All the things that are negatives are because of the nature of the business – you’re not going to find healthy snacks here. It’s not a shopping centre so you’re not going to find a restful parent room here. Small bathrooms – female bathroom probably too small for a pram ,disabled bathroom is bigger.

So my little pixie and I trekked out to Penrith to run a couple of errands. Chatted to the manager of a gym, made a followup visit at a supplement store, it was a very productive and fun morning! I know it’s not the orthodox thing to do, taking your little one on sales calls but we have so much fun. And she’s such a star. So well behaved and charms the pants off everyone we meet – she’s my secret weapon 🙂

Anyway, after such a great morning we deserved a pretty special treat and I remembered seeing Krispy Kreme on our way in (along with a squillion other fast food and family restaurants). Back along Mulgoa Rd, heading towards the M4 from the centre of Penrith, Krispy Kreme is on your right. Just turn at the lights on Mulgoa Rd in front of Panthers and pull into Krispy’s. As soon as you walk inside the front door, on your left is the door for the Restrooms.

Now it’s not the flashest set of bathrooms around, but you wouldn’t expect that anyway in a donut store. I’m actually impressed ‘cos the bathrooms were really clean! Often not the case in fast food outlets. Sure the sign on the door is a tad worn and ratty, but it’s the inside that counts (that phrase just lasts forever, huh).
Baby change tables are wall mounted and located in both the female and disabled bathrooms, which are on the left side of the corridor as you walk through the Restroom door. The disabled bathroom is locked, so if the female bathroom is occupied just go ask management for the keys to the other room. On weekdays anyway, the staff on duty are so nice I don’t think they’ll be tiresome about getting the keys at all.

I’m not a huge fan of sideways lying change tables, only ‘cos my little one is not super confident on them (grips on for dear life!)…but it’s clean and does the job. There’s only one loo in the bathroom, and little ones will probably need a hand getting on and off. The sink is standard height so little ones will probably need help there too. Soap, paper towels, hand dryer and bin are all present and accounted for. Yay!!
Still amazes me that a fast food restaurant has better facilities in a shared bathroom than some stand alone Parent Rooms in shopping centres.. Something wrong somewhere!

Work all finished, photos taken and we’re happy with what we’ve seen – time to get some donuts!!!
If you haven’t been there before, the little viewing platform and huge glass windows let you watch the donut making process. My bubs hadn’t been here before and LOVED watching the machines do their thing. I still love watching it! And then there is the best part of all…..choosing which donuts to buy.
We were only going to get one….but it had been so long between donuts….and there were new varieties and they all looked so good….so we ended up with a 6pk instead. Only 4 made it home though. I mean after doing so much driving and business, and it was only lunchtime we really did need to get some energy back into us. And what better way than with a chocolate and sprinkles topped donut for the 2yo, and a glazed blueberry creation for me. So so soooooo yummy. And you know what? Even with that tasty sugar hit, lil princess was fast asleep about 15min into our 40min car trip home. Such a trooper.