And most of all, is it worth the effort?
A lot has been written about Japan’s all-you-can-eat restaurants, but the nation has plenty of “all-you-can-pack” deals too. Known as “tsumehodai” (“all-you-can-pack”), these deals are generally found at greengrocers, tea merchants and sweet retailers, and now top doughnut chain Mister Donut is offering its own deal, available at select outlets around the country.
Curious to find out how many doughnuts we might be able to pack into a tub, we headed outo to the nearest participating branch, and when we arrived, we found there were three tubs to choose from.
▼ Small (313 yen [US$1.97]), Medium (615 yen), and Large (982 yen)
Deciding to go for the medium size, we lined up at the register and paid for our order, and after receiving our tub we headed over to the doughnut-packing station.
The doughnuts here are known as “Donut Pops”, which are actually well suited to stuffing, as you don’t have to worry about breaking any rings like you would with a regular-looking doughnut.
There were about eight different varieties on display in the showcase when we visited, including the rustic old-fashioned style, and the plump and chewy Pon de Ring style.
One thing you’ll want to be aware of is the fact that these doughnuts vary in availability, with some close to being gone when we visited, so it’s best to get there early when stocks are plentiful.
Another point to be aware of is the fact that you need to pack them in a way that they don’t end up too crushed, while also securing the lid properly.
▼ Finding the right balance between uncrushed balls and secure lid can be surprisingly difficult.
▼ After you’ve finished packing, you need to put the lid on and take it to the cashier.
We found that many of the “Angel Cream Balls” were slightly hemispherical in shape, making them incredibly useful as they helped to fill any gaps in our tub.
Incidentally, even if you don’t opt for the all-you-can-fill Donut Pop deal, you can also purchase them individually for 45 yen each.For us, though, the all-you-can-pack deal turned out to be better value for money, because in total, we were able to go home with…
…32 balls!
At 45 yen per piece, this would’ve cost us 1,440 yen. However, with the all-you-can-pack deal we paid just 615 yen, which was more than half the price. For us, each ball cost more like 19 yen per piece, which works out to be 26 yen cheaper than the usual 45 yen.
▼ So, what happens when we compare this deal to the price, and size, of a regular doughnut?
Normally, a regular Pon de Ring, which is made up of eight balls, costs 172 yen for takeout. With these donuts costing about 19 yen each, our eight balls are valued at 152 yen.
▼ A saving of around 20 yen.
▼ While the savings alone make this a great deal, there’s another benefit.
Because they’re so tiny, you can enjoy trying a small amount of various flavours, and the feeling of not knowing which one to eat first is exciting.
▼ Rich flavours like coconut chocolate tend to be something you’ll only want to eat a little bit of, so the smaller size is ideal
So no matter which way you look at it, the all-you-can-pack Donut Pop deal is a very good deal. Just make sure you don’t go overboard or else your stomach won’t be happy!
Related: Participating Stores
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