Duck Donuts will open its doors Friday morning in downtown State College, bringing a new option to the burgeoning local donut market.
‘Our donuts are always custom-made and they’re warm,’ said franchise owner Janette Haas. ‘I think what sets us apart is the ability to choose your donut and it’s coming to you fresh and warm every time… You won’t see a rack of donuts here. Everything is custom-made to order.’
The shop, located at 125 S. Fraser St. in the Fraser Mini Mall, offers a wide variety of icings, toppings and drizzles to create your own. Or there’s a selection of featured and fan-favorite combinations to choose from, such as maple icing with chopped bacon, which Haas said is among the most popular at other Duck Donuts locations. (We tried it and can see why.)
You can also add ice cream and make a donut sundae, and a selection of coffee drinks, teas and hot breakfast sandwiches are available.
Customers, meanwhile, can watch their donuts being made and topped right in front of them.
The State College location is Duck Donuts’ 62nd. The original shop was founded by Russell A. DiGilio in 2006 in Duck, N.C. and the corporation is now based in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with franchises mostly in the Eastern United States but spreading west as well.
It was on a trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks that Haas and her family were introduced to Duck Donuts.
‘We went to the one in Duck, North Carolina, which is where the name comes from and we fell in love immediately,’ Haas said. ‘We couldn’t even get them home. We didn’t want to share them. The whole drive back to Pennsylvania, we talked about wanting to own a business, wanting to own a coffee shop, which was always a dream, and we thought this was a perfect opportunity to look into.’
The Haas family is from Danville, Pa., but their State College ties are strong. Janette Haas and her husband, Dave, met at Penn State 25 years ago. Now they have four kids — one a Penn State student, another headed to Penn State in the fall and two younger teenage boys.
Janette Haas said they considered a few locations for the franchise, but the Fraser plaza location was the best fit.
‘We loved the plaza. We think it’s a great opportunity for people to have donuts and be able to sit outside and enjoy them,’ she said. ‘The parking garage is right here, which is nice, and now with the new H&M and Target and [Federal] Taphouse and Hyatt [in the Fraser Centre], I think it was a really good opportunity.’
For about a week, Duck Donuts will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Sunday, when it will close at 3 p.m. After that, regular hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The location will have about 30 employees.
Haas, meanwhile, hopes to bring a little bit of the feel of the original Duck Donuts to State College.
‘We try to keep it simple, upbeat and personable, and family-oriented for sure,’ she said. ‘We have that beach, laid-back feel. I think a lot of people associate Duck Donuts with the Outer Banks. So we think of it as bringing a taste of the Outer Banks to Happy Valley.’
