Every summer, my family would travel five hours to my grandparents beach house in Duck, North Carolina. Many memories were created by playing in the sand, dancing on the back porch and singing in the kitchen. As time went by, the beach house was sold, but my family returned to Duck continuously. Somewhere we would always make a stop at was the famous, Duck Donuts.
Ever since then, I have always had a craving for doughnuts. The endless toppings you can put on the doughy cake attracts my eye and never disappoints a hungry stomach. This doughnut store exceeds all expectations and here’s why.
The Beginning
Just like mine, the founder of Duck Donuts, visited Duck, North Carolina every year with his family. Russel A. DiGilio loved the small and quiet town; however, he felt that there was no place to get a sweet treat. What started as a trial session continued with with months of research and collaboration, and finally led to the opening of Duck Donuts. The first location opened in 2006 in the town of Duck, North Carolina.
The Growth
The small, family-oriented company quickly expanded all across North Carolina with hundreds of people purchasing donuts daily. Their company was growing and becoming something that people wanted in their hometowns, not just while on vacation.
They quickly bought store space in Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina. With owners being pleasantly surprised with business and families loving the doughnuts, the company wanted to grow even more. Doughnut shops were soon opened in Georgia, Ohio, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and even Texas. Luckily, as a University of Delaware student, Duck Donuts secured a spot on Main Street.
The Combinations
The magic behind Duck Donuts is the idea that you make the doughnuts yourself. Well, you don’t really make them yourself, but you create the combination of toppings for your own doughnut.
The store has 11 kinds of frosting, 7 choices of toppings and 5 finishing “drizzle” options. That means that there are 2,695 types of doughnuts you can create. Also meaning that to enjoy all these combinations, you would have to buy one different doughnut every day for 7 and a half years. Now that’s a lot of doughnuts! Or you can stick to a classic, yet still my favorite combination, which is chocolate icing with rainbow sprinkles.
The Store
The best part to Duck Donuts is that you are able to watch the employees make your doughnuts right in front of you. You can see the doughnut batter being shaped into a circle, then fried and cooled. The doughnuts are then transported to the toppings and icing section, where customers are able to watch their doughnut creation come to life.
The Other Options
The store not only sells handmade doughnuts, but also provides a wide range of drinks, sundaes and sandwiches. The workers create sandwiches by slicing a warm, fresh doughnut and then adding egg, cheese, sausage, or bacon between the two halves. They offer orange or apple juice and all types of milk to compliment your breakfast sandwich.
If you really have a sweet tooth, there is the doughnut sundae option. Breyer’s ice cream is placed on top of a doughnut along with another wide selection of toppings.
Overall, if you want a fresh, custom doughnut, pay a visit to Duck Donuts. The dessert warms your heart and always leaves your stomach full. They even have a s’mores option, leaving you wanting s’more!