Naperville man bringing made-to-order Duck Donuts franchise to location near 95th and Route 59
A visit to a Duck Donuts in Arizona inspired a Naperville man to open franchise shops in his own hometown.
Kevon Gardner was visiting his brother when he stopped in Chandler at a shop where all the doughnuts were fresh from the fryer and made to order.
Impressed with the taste and the concept, “I was like, I think this will be a really good idea for the Naperville area,” Gardner said.
The plan is to open his first franchise at 3124 Route 59 in the shopping center near the southeast corner of 95th Street tentatively sometime in April. Once operational, he’ll open a second location in the Ogden Avenue corridor.
When it opens, the south Naperville shop will be only the second Duck Donuts franchise in Illinois. The first debuted last summer in Libertyville.
Duck Donuts began in 2007 in the North Carolina beach resort towns of Duck and Kitty Hawk, giving vacationers warm, made-to-order doughnuts.
The company, now headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, began franchising in 2013 and has more than 115 shops across 23 states and three international locations in Canada, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Additional international locations are expected to open in 2023 in Qatar, Pakistan and Thailand.
All doughnuts are custom-produced for each patron, starting with the signature vanilla cake batter that is fried.
Once out of the fryer, the hot doughnuts can be dipped into icing, sugar or glaze and then topped with a sweet and savory delights similar to those added to ice cream sundaes.
Fan favorites include the Bacon in the Sun (maple icing with chopped bacon and salted caramel drizzle), Beach Ball (vanilla icing with rainbow sprinkles and chocolate drizzle), Blueberry Pancake (blueberry icing with maple drizzle and powdered sugar) or the Chocolate Explosion (chocolate icing with Oreo cookie crumbles and hot fudge drizzle).
Customers also can request their own creations.
There is a flavor combination for everyone, including his relatives who aren’t sweets fans, Gardner said.
“They absolutely love (the doughnuts) and that was really what sold me.” he said.
In addition to doughnuts, the Naperville shop will serve high-end coffee and espresso, doughnut sundaes, milkshakes and frozen beverages.
Gardner said he’ll be selling more than doughnuts, he’ll be selling the custom-made experience.
“My kids would absolutely love the process of watching those doughnuts being made and being able to pick out the different toppings and stuff like that,” said the father of two children ages 1 and 6.
Duck Donuts plays into the narrative of Naperville being family-oriented, he said, and it’s something he understands having grown up in Naperville, attending Indian Prairie District 204 schools and graduating from Neuqua Valley High School.
“I think it’s a family thing, and it’s a place where I would like to see families come and enjoy the product that we’re offering,” he said.
He sees Saturday mornings being filled with kids picking out doughnuts with dad and mom, Gardner said.
Because the doughnuts are not mass produced, customers will have to wait longer than a typical doughnut shop or bakery for their treats, he said.
“Obviously there’s a little bit of time involved. But if you’re willing to sit there and wait on it, it’ll be worth the wait,” he said.
