National Donut Day takes place on June 1 each year. National Donut Day was started in 1938 to honor the Salvation Army “Donut Lassies” who served donuts to soldiers during World War I. Today, many donut shops serve their customers a free donut on National Donut Day. Those who do, like Krispy Kreme and LaMar’s Donuts, will most certainly have lines out the door on June 1. We wondered: who has the most popular donut every other day of the year?
We looked at mobile consumer attendances at donut shops across the U.S. from September 2017 through April 2018 to find out. Here’s our list of the top 10 places to get a donut:
10. Donut Star
Founded in 1985, Donut Star has over 30 locations – mostly in California.
9. Happy Donuts
With multiple locations throughout California, Happy Donuts is a West Coast favorite.
In business since 1948, Winchell’s now has more than 170 locations in 6 states.
Shipley Do-Nuts’ gourmet donuts were first sold in 1936 for 5 cents a dozen. Today, Shipley Do-Nuts offers 60 different donut varieties and operates 190 shops in several southern states.
Founder Richard Bowen came up with the business name, “Honey Dew Donuts”, during a high school English class. The first Honey Dew Donuts shop opened in 1973 in Mansfield, Massachusetts with the tagline, “Always Fresh, Always Good”.
5. Donut Palace
The Donut Palace is a franchise bakery located throughout Texas and the Midwest. Their menu includes handmade apple fritters, cookies, muffins, and – of course – donuts.
Philip C. Holland founded Yum Yum Donuts in 1971 in Highland Park, California. In 2004, Yum-Yum purchased Winchell’s Donut House chain, creating the west coast’s largest donut shop chain.
Daylight Donuts started in 1954; the founders originally sold their famous light donut mix from the trunk of their car. The chain now has nearly 1,000 independently owned-and-operated stores.
2. Krispy Kreme
Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Krispy Kreme’s light and fluffy donuts are best enjoyed when the “Hot Now” sign is lit. In 2015, Krispy Kreme opened its 1,000th shop in Kansas City, Kansas.
Founded in 1950 and based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin’ Donuts has grown to more than 8,500 restaurants in 41 states.
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