Donut joint plans Atlanta debut
Duck Donuts, a Harrisburg, PA based donut franchise, has leases signed for its first two Atlanta area locations. The two eateries will open in Alpharetta and Buckhead.
In Alpharetta, Duck Donuts will open in Old Alabama Square, a large shopping center anchored by the Fresh Market and located in the 3,000 block of Old Alabama Road. The Alpharetta location is expected to open by the end of May.
In Buckhead, Duck Donuts will open in Tuxedo Festival, a center located at the corner of Roswell and Piedmont Roads, which is already home to Zoës Kitchen and FLIP Burger, among other tenants. The Duck Donuts in Tuxedo Festival will be approximately 1,400 square feet and will be located behind the former inline Regions bank branch. The Buckhead location will likely open later this summer.
A typical Duck Donuts menu consists of about a dozen or so donut flavors with additional "topping" and "drizzle" options.
The Buckhead location of Duck Donuts would put it in competition with home grown doughnut shop, Bon Glaze. Additionally, the Shell gas station across the street, at the corner of Powers Ferry and Roswell Roads is being rebuilt to include a Dunkin' Donuts, among other amenities.
In addition to Bon Glaze and Dunkin' Donuts, Duck Donuts is also entering an Atlanta market already home to chains like Krispy Kreme and other local upstarts like Revolution Doughnuts (Inman Park & Decatur), Sublime Donuts (Home Park, Druid Hills, & a delayed new location in Sandy Springs) and DaVinci's Donuts (Dunwoody, Sandy Springs & Alpharetta). Additionally, QuikTrip and Kroger have upped their donut offerings in recent years.
Russ DiGilio, founder and owner of Duck Donuts, opened his first shop in 2007 at the Outer Banks in the town of Kitty Hawk, NC, and opened the second shop shortly after in Duck, NC. The company grew slowly with the first franchised unit coming online in 2013 in Williamsburg, VA. As of this past fall, Duck Donuts had about 100 locations open throughout the east coast.
What is your favorite place for donuts in metro Atlanta? Do you think Atlanta can handle another donut joint? Have you been to Duck Donuts?
Please share your thoughts below.