The Story of How One Man Ate a Donut and It Changed His Life. Forever.

[photek]

My friend is an asshole. He brought over some boxes of Krispy Kremes from out of country and introduced me to donuts. Now this is fucked up. Not only have I not eaten proper donuts before, but we don't have donut stores around in our country that I know of and our town has maybe two types of donuts around in different pastry shops, sugar coated and chocolate covered. After all those types of donuts I have tasted from those Krispy Kreme boxes I feel like a new world was introduced to me and it would be highly egoistic to not share this goodness with my fellow countrymen so I started doing some research of possibly opening a donut-sorta place here in our town (Kristiansand, Norway). Being a business major and a 2D/3D artist the business and concept development parts are straight forward to me, but I know fuckall about donuts or how to make em. This lead me to a series of questions and many will probably follow :

1) Anyone has any experience working from a pastry / donut shop ? Anything similar, bakery even, and what are areas I should be focusing on ?

2) I did some research about donut fryers, glazers, depositors etc, anyone know anything about these ? What is good, what to avoid ?

3) At what location are donut / pastry stores "convenient" (not in my town, I know that, I mean more like when do you feel like picking up a donut ? While waiting for something ? After other food ?)

4) What else do they sell at donut shops and what should I focus on ?

5) Catering an option, maybe catering to businesses etc ?

6) Anything else that you might want to add.

EDIT :

7) Your favorite donuts ?

I'm just doing some research currently, if this shows to be profitable, solid, well planned and scheduled out I have a few private investors along with several national organizations in Norway (Cultiva, EVA - Innovasjon Norge) as options for funding alongside with private investments. I don't want to go knee deep in loans (keeping risk at minimum) even though it is an option if needed. My mother is also the head waiter at the Choice Quality Hotel here and has several contacts who she could introduce me to also for some tips in this area alongside with the one she is giving me.

Thanks for your time!

[Mrbloodworth]

Dunkin' Donuts > Krispy Kreme

Most of the donuts shops around here are on the corner (or in a gas station) or smack dab in the middle of a group of office buildings.

That's really all i have to add.

[photek]

Most of the donuts shops around here are on the corner (or in a gas station) or smack dab in the middle of a group of office buildings

That's the impression I got that it is easily accessible (eg - right by the walking street) and not in the back of some mall. Location is extremely important here in our town, as well as everywhere really, considering our town is square shaped (might look something like 10x10) and there is only a few walking streets where such a place would be practical. Image here :

http://www.planetware.com/i/map/N/kristiansand-map.jpg

EDIT : Added question number 7.

[rattran]

Coffee. There are a couple donut places here in town, the busiest one has donuts, coffee, and places to sit. That's it. It's always busy. Most of the others have sammiches and such too.

I find Krispy Kreme to be terrible, I like old fashioned donuts. Just plain, non-greasy, good with a big cup of coffee or 3.

[Merusk]

There's multiple kinds of donuts.  Cake batter and dough batter are the two most familiar. I think Krispy Kreme uses a dough batter, while Dunkin is primarily Cake batter.

They're typically a breakfast food over here, so I stop by the shop or the grocery on the way to work if I want one.   The bigger chains have started offering sandwiches and stuff to broaden their market and boost sales revenue in the afternoons.  Yes, coffee is a 'must' for donut shops, though I prefer mine with milk as I can't stand coffee. 

Location I'd probably pick somewhere between the bus station and the hospital on that map.  Not sure how doctor's shifts work over there, but I know over here there's always a few small places that do well around the campuses because the hospital cafeteria gets routine or isn't open long enough.

As to favorites? Cinnamon Twists (dough fried and twisted to an 8 covered in cinnamon sugar.)  Berliners w/ icing (puffy balls injected with a filling, typically creme, icing or jelly) and plain old glazed.  Yummy.

[photek]

Awesome stuff. So early opening is a must, just like bakeries. I'll check the various batters and how they are used also. Coffee and places to sit along with a nice atmosphere is a must it seems.

[Trippy]

To understand how people "experience" donuts in a donut shop in the US, at least, you should get on a site like yelp.com and read donut shop reviews.

You can also try to track down the Alton Brown "Circle of Life" episode of Good Eats if you want to try and make donuts at home to test recipes.

There's multiple kinds of donuts.  Cake batter and dough batter are the two most familiar. I think Krispy Kreme uses a dough batter, while Dunkin is primarily Cake batter.

The two standard kinds are "cake" and "raised" as in yeast-raised. Krispy Kreme and pretty much all donuts shops have both types here in the US.

[photek]

Thanks a lot Trippy, checking out that stuff now.

[NiX]

Krispy Kreme made a sorry attempt to introduce their disgusting glaze blobs in Canada and eventually had to shut every storefront down except for a few franchised ones. You just can't compete with Tim Hortons up here. Oh god, Boston Creme.

[Strazos]

You'll want to try to have as many open business hours as possible, as sometimes people want donuts/breakfast-type food at odd times.

Of course, serve with coffee drinks and such. Also, Bagels. While I love me some donuts, I usually opt for a simple toasted bagel and cream cheese.


Also, have you considered trying to contact some of the bigger donut businesses (dunkin, KK, etc?) and talking about franchises? That might take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation for you.

[Nazrat]

Krispy Kreme used to require its franchises to purchase all of their ingredients from them.  This enabled them to control the quality but it also added quite a bit of lag to shipping.

KK went on a big expansion a few years ago and they were forced to abandon a lot of the newer locations.  So, I'm not sure that Krispy Kreme will sell a foreign franchise. 

[NiX]

Didn't realize you were looking to open a shop. I'm being lazy today, but I'll answer your question

3) At what location are donut / pastry stores "convenient" (not in my town, I know that, I mean more like when do you feel like picking up a donut ? While waiting for something ? After other food ?)
The most convenient for me has been the Tim Horton's (donut shop) in my school. $2 in your pocket? Coffee and a donut right there. Good for when I sleep in and skip breakfast. I usually tend to buy donuts opposed to bagels, mostly because I was eating a deadly amount of cream cheese. Anyway, I usually eat donuts to hold me off till I go out for lunch or dinner with friends.

4) What else do they sell at donut shops and what should I focus on ?
GOOD Coffee/other beverages, Bagels, donut centers (called TimBits up here), sandwiches, soup. You should probably focus on the basics of Coffee and donuts, then branch off from there. It really depends on what the culture dictates.

5) Catering an option, maybe catering to businesses etc ?
It depends, have you ever been to a donut/coffee shop? If you're going for an authentic donut shop where you just make pastry's and donuts, then yes.

6) Anything else that you might want to add.
Look at successful coffee shops and read how they started. I know the most successful one in Canada started with coffee and like 3 types of donuts or something ridiculous like that and now they pull in about $2 billion a year.

EDIT :

7) Your favorite donuts? Boston Creme

[Engels]

I have absolutely no experience in this whatsoever so my comment is worthless, but this being f13, it won't stop me:

Do not try to replicate an 'american' experience in Norway. What you should do is take the main product and 'norwegianize' it to fit the local comfort level. Embedd the product within standard and familiar other things. That's the way in.

[Lantyssa]

Awesome stuff. So early opening is a must, just like bakeries. I'll check the various batters and how they are used also. Coffee and places to sit along with a nice atmosphere is a must it seems.

While it tends to be a breakfast with coffee sort of thing here, you might try some polling and taste tests if at all possible.  You're essentially trying to introduce something that is not part of the regular culture on top of trying to figure out the predominate taste preferences of your locality.  The Coke/Pepsi split makes a huge difference in regional sales.

See if there is a preference for dough versus cake batter, and different styles.  I love Dunkin' Donuts and something from the grocery bakery, but cannot stand the taste of a Kripy Kreme.  You may find it beneficial to do both.  Or maybe not... you'll have to figure that out being the business major.  You could also introduce things like beingets and sopapias, which are similar, but might help add some variety.

Be flexible enough to realize that even if there is a market, you want to make it fit the local tastes.

[stray]

Donuts are freakin bad for you. Don't introduce them to Norway. 

[Nebu]

Donuts are freakin bad for you. Don't introduce them to Norway. 

It's ok.  People in Norway actually get out of their house and exercise.  They can handle donuts. 

[photek]

I have absolutely no experience in this whatsoever so my comment is worthless, but this being f13, it won't stop me:

Do not try to replicate an 'american' experience in Norway. What you should do is take the main product and 'norwegianize' it to fit the local comfort level. Embedd the product within standard and familiar other things. That's the way in.

This is one of the challenges. Norwegians and especially Norwegian youth are extremely occupied with health and fitness, so I must have this in mind. Using ingredients that produces the absolute lowest amount of fat and show nutrition facts through several means and have some healthy jucies on the side alongside some healthy food.

[stray]

Heh. Dude you can't make donuts in any kind of healthy way. Not tasty ones at least. Go all or nothing. It's not that the brand or quality of ingredients are necessarily bad in typical donuts - It's just that they consist of nothing but the worst stuff, period (and why they taste so good).. high carb breads and sugar, and fat. Too much of those, combined as they are, are bad for you period. Most donuts are about 300 calories. Anything with cream or jelly will be about 350 calories. Just eating two is fucking yourself. To illustrate: It would take about 30 minutes of walking to work off those 300 or 400 calories. An hour for 2, and so forth.

I hate to come off like a health nut. I'm just saying.. This shit is nasty.

That said, anything chocolate and custard filled. 

[Signe]

It's only because they haven't figured out a way to make walking out of your house and exercising really really expensive!     I bet if you make donuts salty as hell, and hard enough to beat your wife with, you'll make a fortune!  Strangely, Norway is reported to have a low rate of alcohol consumption and yet every male from my Norwegian family is an alcoholic.  Of course, it's heavily restricted and taxed so I suspect most make their own.  Thank god someone gave them potatoes!  Another tactic would be spreading the rumour that Swedes claim to make the best donuts in the world. 

All kidding aside, I suppose you could make them "healthier" by baking them instead of deep-frying but they won't be the same. Still might be good, though.  But all that sugar, inside and out!  How do you get around that?  I sometimes sweeten things with apple juice, but I'm not sure that would work with donuts.  Rosette and Fattigmann cookies are popular and they don't have much sugar.  Well, at least on the inside.  Having said that, I don't know anyone who actually eats them other than during the holidays.  And they're small.  As someone who can not tolerate much sugar, I'd love to see what people come up with. 

By the way - every now and then Righ gets a couple of donuts from Wegmans and I love their bagels!

[schild]

Dunkin' Donuts > Krispy Kreme

NO. DUNKIN DONUTS ARE CAKE. THEY ARE NOT DONUTS.

[Oban]

You could only use organic ingredients and advertise as being an organic donut store to get over the stigma associated with donuts.

Maybe locally sourced ingredients or some such nonsense too.  Lingonberry or cloudberry would be easy choices. Smoked salmon donuts?  Crunchy dried codfish sprinkles on a crueler?  

As for coffee, you could import coffees from around the world.  Oddly enough, the highest ranked coffee currently in the US is also the least expensive.  http://www.eightoclock.com/

A professional espresso machine is a must have.

Tea lattes seem to be the new thing here in North America.  It is a brewed tea with frothed milk poured on top.  People seem to think it is more healthy than coffee.  Meh.

Oh, and Krispey Kreme beats the shit out of the frozen batter crap they serve at Tim Hortons you fucking Canadian bitch.

[photek]

Good stuff from all of you, thanks a lot. I think I have to go all inn on the donuts and exclude the health part on them with the exception of nutrition facts and maybe have some healthy / organic / veggie donuts as a sidething instead. Coffee and great tasting coffee is an absolute must, people are nutters about coffee over here and there aren't many places that offer alternatives / food / quick snacks in their coffee shops besides coffee so donuts along with other pastry would be full of win. My mother is also a barista and knows tons about coffee, I'll have to hear what she has to say.

[stray]

Wegmans and I love their bagels!

Unfortunately, bagels have even more calories than donuts! No sugars, of course.. But it's still packed in carbs. Put some cream cheese on, and you just added a 100 calories (nutrition facts say 436 cal for a cream chesse bagel). Muffins, especially the big ones that you only see these days are all the way up in 600 range.

It's like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes basically.. Except pastries.

[Oban]

[schild]

Oban, do you have a consumer reports account?

[photek]

*Googling the shit out of the brands* How is that Eight O'Clock ?

[stray]

pic

On a sidenote, I believe an Americano is like 20 cal. And it's fucking delish. I believe you were the one told me about it too. Kudos

[edit] Ah shit, i read those caffiene levels as calories... which confused me at first. I was wondering wtf they were putting in those coffees. Heh. Still though, espresso drinks are better anyhow.

[Oban]

Oban, do you have a consumer reports account?

Yes.

[photek]

Oban, do you have a consumer reports account?

Yes.

Ow, post this too please. Where do you find this stuff by the way ?

[stray]

Tea lattes seem to be the new thing here in North America.  It is a brewed tea with frothed milk poured on top.  People seem to think it is more healthy than coffee.  Meh.

Yeah, they named off one of them to me the other day, and I decided to try it. London Fog Vanilla Latte or some stupid shit. I forgot what tea it was based on, but it tasted and smelled like fruitloops.

[photek]

I  the new thread title. I shall not disappoint!

[stray]

They have changed many lives. You are not unique.


OK, I'll stop. Enjoy.



That tea.. I think it was mixed with Apple too. Probably where the fruitloops taste came out.

[Engels]

I have absolutely no experience in this whatsoever so my comment is worthless, but this being f13, it won't stop me:

Do not try to replicate an 'american' experience in Norway. What you should do is take the main product and 'norwegianize' it to fit the local comfort level. Embedd the product within standard and familiar other things. That's the way in.

This is one of the challenges. Norwegians and especially Norwegian youth are extremely occupied with health and fitness, so I must have this in mind. Using ingredients that produces the absolute lowest amount of fat and show nutrition facts through several means and have some healthy jucies on the side alongside some healthy food.

best donuts ever. and "healthy"

[schild]

First of all, those are cake.

Second of all, they're still terrible for you.

My view on donuts is the following:

1. Cake is not a base for a fucking donut. Be a purist or go buy a fucking cake and grab a slice.
2. You might as well eat one with 480 or 500 calories for the extra awesome flavor than "get by" with one that has 380 or 400 calories.
3. DONUTS ARE NOT FUCKING CAKE.

[stray]

To be fair, the standard, ho hum krispy kreme glazed donut is 200 cal. Which isn't that bad, I guess... Funnily though, they came out with a wheat one, and it's 180. Just a 20 cal drop.

For some reason, the dunkin donuts wheat glazed is 310. Might as well splurge.