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COLUMBIA — After selling pastries for more than a month, Daylight Donuts will officially stage a grand opening today to introduce new menu items and a drive-through service.
Located downtown between Gumby's and Papa John's on Broadway, the doughnut shop has been selling a variety of cake and raised doughnuts since early October. The three-level glass case near the entrance also displays turnovers, bear claws and apple fritters.
- Long john doughnuts sit on a tray in the kitchen after being dipped in different types of icing at Daylight Donuts.
- Karl Florek dips doughnuts in flavored icing at Daylight Donuts.
“We’re one of the only places in town where you can get fresh donuts, ” said Sohail Patel, son of owner Shabbir Patel.
With today's grand opening, the menu will expand to include roasted chicken and soft drinks. The shop also will begin exhibiting local art and will hold regular poetry reading.
Drive-through service will begin Wednesday, said Zacki Patel, the general manager.
"We wanted to do something different,” he said, “but we wanted to stay in the coffee-shop category. We’re still working out the kinks and adding more product. I really want more variety.”
The Patel family decided to open Daylight Donuts when they realized nothing like it existed downtown. The only other doughnut shop in Columbia is Dixie Cream Donuts off East Nifong Boulevard.
The Patels began looking for the ideal location last summer and said they finally found one with perfect “foot traffic." They target downtown workers in the mornings, students in the afternoon and churchgoers on Sundays.
“They have the best apple fritters in town, and it’s on my way to work,” customer David Mehr said.
Daylight Donuts opens at 6 a.m. seven days a week.
Comments
Having had both, Dixie Cream donuts is by far the superior donut joint. Not only in taste, but also service. Every employee of DCD is pleasant and kind to speak to, and really brighten your day. Not to mention that DCD is a local business, whereas Daylight is a chain that is looking to open over three locations in the area in the next few years. Support your local bakery!
wow Daylight Donuts have the best donuts in town, i wasn't sure about it at first. but once you try them, you cant stop eating them. plus their ingredient is all natural. they have so many selections. not like different sprinkles, but completely different types of donuts. also dixi cream is franchise but its locally owned, so is same thing with daylight donuts, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Donut Lover - Thanks for the support! To any who cares - my husband and I own Dixie Cream donuts and we ARE part of the Daylight Donut family. When we bought the Nifong location last year (2007), we just did not have the money to invest in changing the name - but we use the Daylight Product as well. Therefore, I am confident you can get great tasting donuts at either shop! Mr. Patel is right, you can get fresh donuts at both shops - and the products we use do not have perservatives. That is why we MUST produce them fresh daily. (Perservatives, I am told, reduce some of the flavor.) And guess what, we have regular customers who have lost weight by eating our donuts daily. Seriously, do you know how many glazed donuts you would have to eat to equalt the fat in my faviort fast food hamburger! (I won't mention the name, but many of you eat it as well.) So of course I'd like to build the business at my shop, need to build the business, but there is no donut war going on here - they have a good product as well. I am looking forward to trying their chicken and I wish our soda supplier would let us do the fountain drinks but they said no. Either way, eat in moderation but check us both out!