Duck Donuts announced on October 29 the launch of the company’s first vegan cake-based donut option. Available to order in-store or online from the Orange County, California locations only— 18591 Main Street in Huntington Beach and 2222 Michelson Drive Suite 200 in Irvine, the vegan donut will be a permanent menu item starting November 1, World Vegan Day.
The vegan cake-based donut offers the aroma of mild spice notes with a lightly spiced cake taste to match, accompanied by the donut’s soft texture. Guests can experience the same made-to-order process, including customizing their donut by choosing from a variety of vegan-friendly coatings, toppings and drizzles, watching the donut being made fresh and always served warm to enjoy.
“As the U.S. vegan consumer industry continues to rise, so does the demand for an accessible and tasty vegan product,” says Russ DiGilio, Duck Donuts founder and CEO. “After much research, trial and error, and in-store testing, we are ready to launch our first alternative donut base option, allowing us to reach a new audience of customers who can now enjoy our warm, delicious donuts, in the same unique, made-to-order atmosphere.”
According to The Vegan Society, World Vegan Day is celebrated around the world as a time to recognize how far the vegan movement has come, to highlight how accessible and beneficial a vegan lifestyle is and to encourage the vegan-curious to adopt veganism by sharing advice, recipes and ideas.
“Since we opened in 2018, we have received many requests from customers for a vegan donut, which speaks to the consumer demand and lifestyle preference of those in Orange County,” says Gary Kopel, Orange County franchisee. “We are very excited to be the first Duck Donuts market to expand our product offering with the introduction of our new vegan donut.”
The vegan donut saw a positive response from customers during the pilot phase at the Huntington Beach and Irvine locations earlier in summer 2019. The franchising company looks to expand the vegan donut to additional markets where there is an increased demand in 2020.
Duck Donuts specializes in warm, delicious and made-to-order donuts. Customers can choose from a variety of topping combinations, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon. The family-friendly stores offer a viewing area where children and adults alike can watch their donuts being made. Duck Donuts also sells coffee, espresso, donut breakfast sandwiches, donut sundaes, and offers online ordering and delivery in many locations.
