× 1 of 3 Expand Photography by Iain Shaw × 2 of 3 Expand Photography by Iain Shaw × 3 of 3 Expand Photography by Iain Shaw Franchisees and Chesterfield residents Tori Bray and Laurie Weaver-Hundelt Prev Next

Duck Donuts brings its made-to-order donuts to Chesterfield beginning today, April 19. It marks the chain’s first location in Missouri and 98th store nationwide.

Russell A. Digilio founded the donut shop’s flagship location in 2007 in the vacation town of Duck, North Carolina. Since then, Duck Donuts has expanded its presence across the eastern seaboard. The Chesterfield location marks one of only a handful of locations in the Midwest. (The next closest is 240 miles away, in Leawood, Kansas.)

Franchisees and Chesterfield residents Tori Bray and Laurie Weaver-Hundelt were eager to bring Duck Donuts to the area. “My family discovered it when we were vacationing in the Outer Banks,” says Weaver-Hundelt. “We wanted to franchise it earlier, but they weren't ready yet. So when they finally started franchising, we were like, ‘OK, we're in.’”

Photography by Iain Shaw

The restaurant is located in a strip mall on Clarkson Road, just off Interstate 64. The space seats around 20 people inside, with outdoor seating shared with neighboring Firehouse Subs.

However you choose to customize your donut, every order starts with a simple, delicious cake donut. First, choose a coating: powdered or cinnamon sugar, or a glaze from a selection including chocolate, lemon, strawberry, maple, vanilla, or blueberry. Next, choose your toppings: sprinkles, shredded coconut, Graham Cracker crumbs, chopped bacon, Oreo crumbles... For the finishing touches, drizzles including hot fudge, raspberry, salted caramel, or marshmallow.

If you’re overwhelmed by the choices, there’s also a menu of pre-set combinations of flavors, with new options introduced seasonally. Bray says the maple icing with chopped bacon is the most popular across Duck Donuts’ stores nationwide, with other current hits including Key Lime with Graham Cracker crumbs, blueberry pancake, and chocolate icing with rainbow sprinkles.

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All of this happens before your eyes, and watching the process is captivating. The batter is poured into a machine, which forms the mixture into a ring donut, ready for frying. A conveyor belt carries the fried donut out of the hot oil and tips it into a cooling tray. Your donut is then carried off to the final station, where it’s dressed with the coating and toppings of your choice. If you have kids, they’ll be enchanted, and you probably will be, too.

“The experience is as big a part of it as the taste of the donut,” Bray says.

Photography by Iain Shaw

A single donut costs $1.70, but you can also order a half-dozen ($8.75) or a dozen ($15.75). For additional indulgence, add a scoop of ice cream ($5.50).

Where there are donuts, there must be coffee, so Duck Donuts offers three of its own roasts, as well as espresso drinks, including cappuccinos, lattes, and mochas. And with a 6:30 a.m. opening daily, there are breakfast sandwiches, featuring your choice of egg and cheese with sausage or bacon.

Bray and Weaver-Hundelt say they’re also happy to work with customers on orders for color-coordinated donuts for special occasions, ranging from office parties to sports-team celebrations, school events to weddings. “We’ve already been hired out for weddings that are coming up, and the brides want to match the color of the sprinkles to their dresses,” Weaver-Hundelt says. Duck Donuts can also host events, such as kids' birthday parties.

This weekend, opening hours will be limited to 8 a.m.–5 p.m. April 19 and 20, and 8 a.m.–noon April 21 (Easter Sunday).