It used to be that when you went to a donut shop, you could get in, order your donuts, and move on.

That is why people go to donut shops, right? Because they have donuts? It says right on the sign. “Donuts.”

But ever since Starbucks, donut shops felt they needed to specialize in coffee to compete.

So now, when you go to a donut shop, everyone in line takes 10 minutes to get their order because they’re not just ordering donuts, but also ordering coffee.

And coffee’s not just some beverage you poor out of a pot anymore. Now, coffee is a special concoction that requires a team of technicians with highly sophisticated equipment to make.

Lost in all of this is that fact that it’s a donut shop. It exists to sell donuts. I can get coffee anywhere. But I can only get donuts in a donut shop (unless I find a grocery store with halfway decent donuts).

I know healthcare is better, we’re all living longer, etc. But if you ask me, with developments like what’s happening to our donut shops, this country may actually be going down the tubes.