Business: Duck Donuts
Address: 3124 S. Route 59, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-857-3168; www.duckdonuts.com
Owner: Elise Gardner, of Naperville
Years in business: 3
What does this business do? “We make — just like the sign says — warm, delicious and made-to-order doughnuts. We also do breakfast sandwiches,” Gardner said. “We have our famous sausage egg and cheese on a doughnut with maple drizzle and crumbled bacon topping.”
No calories or carbs in that, right? “There’s a bunch of calories in there. … The carbs are tremendous. We also do shakes, all kinds of shakes.”
When is Milk Shake Happy Hour? “Monday through Friday, 3 to 5:30, buy any milkshake, get any doughnut free. Any doughnut.”
Why do you own this franchise? “We were vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In Duck, North Carolina, of all places. A vacation haven. That’s where the original Duck Donuts shop is. Hence the name.
“There’s this store on the beach and they’re lining up at 5 in the morning for these warm doughnuts. … We saw that and my son Kevin said, ‘Mom, we should maybe open a shop like this in Naperville.’ I said, ‘Huh? You want to do what?’
“We visited the shop there, talked to the owners. We also visited with other franchise owners, some on the East Coast. … You want to check with a few.”
According to the website, Duck Donuts was founded in 2007, and now has more than 135 locally-owned shops in 23 states as well as Puerto Rico, Canada, Pakistan, Egypt and other nations.
What convinced you? “I thought Naperville is a very thriving area and there is no doughnut shop like this. We do all vanilla cake-based doughnuts. When you come in, you order what you want, we’ll make it. We have a menu, but we also are made to order.”
What about Dunkin Donuts? “They used to make donuts there a long time ago but you can’t do this there. They ship them in. This gives us a flair of something different. I didn’t see anybody else doing this.”
What were you doing before? “I retired in 2021. I was an executive director at the Internal Revenue Service. I had a team of about 600 revenue agents in the Midwest Region. We did corporate audits, not individuals.
“(After retirement) I did some volunteering and started a foundation, Endeavor Towards Greatness, to help students in under-served communities. We’ve helped about 60 students in three years go to college. We give them $500 to $2,000 each.
“I was retired, living the good life. Why the heck would I do this? You don’t want to sit at home and watch TV all day. You’d be bored. … Me and Kevin opened this place. He’s now living on Long Island with his wife and three children.”
What was it like starting out? “It was hectic. Overwhelming. The day we opened, we had folks lined up down to the end of the strip mall.”
How much for a dozen? “A dozen is about $25 before tax. The half-dozen is $16 before tax.” (Individual donuts are $3 each.)
Any big plans? “On Aug. 10, I have an order for 40 dozen doughnuts (to be) delivered at 7:15 a.m. at (Plainfield) School District 202. We will be here at 4:30 or 5 in the morning, running two fryers to get the 40 dozen out the door by 6:30 a.m.”
Do you always start that early? “Not always. It depends if I have a big order. For any catering order, we’ll get here early. Typically, I’m here by 5:30 or 6.”
What are the hours? “We open at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. (daily) except on Saturdays when we stay open until 8 p.m.”
How many employees work here? “About 15. It’s a fun atmosphere.”
Any challenges? “There’s a lot of (eating) options out there. … I don’t have competition because nobody else is making (the doughnuts) when you walk in the door. You watch the doughnuts being made. … Kids will line up, watch the doughnuts come down and watch us do the toppings.”
What’s the secret to success? “Word of mouth. So many come in and say they’ve heard about us.”
Do you love your job? “I do. I love the customers. The smiles on their faces. The little kids. I love when I see a family coming in here. … And I love to see the seniors. They are very loyal.”
What’s your favorite doughnut? “Maple and bacon. You can’t go wrong with that.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Do their research, their homework. Understand the industry they’re getting into. Understand location, location, location. All that makes a difference.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
