Former NFL player to open doughnut store
First location will be on Brown Street strip near the University of Dayton.
Duck Donuts is gearing up to open its first Dayton-area location on the Brown Street strip near the University of Dayton.
Duck Donuts is gearing up to open its first Dayton-area location on the Brown Street strip near the University of Dayton, and is already eyeing its second and third locations in the region.
The UD-area Duck Donuts is scheduled to open in early August at 1200 Brown St. just north of Stewart Street, according to Todd Roberts, business advisor for the Dayton-area Duck Donuts franchise owners.
Duck Donuts’ UD shop will be only the second location in Ohio for the Harrisburg, Pa.-based chain that got its start in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. A location in the Polaris Center in suburban Columbus opened in December.
Plans call for adding two more Duck Donuts locations in the Dayton area over the next 18 months,
‘The Columbus location has been very successful — people will stand in line for its doughnuts at various times of the day.’ Todd Roberts Business advisor
Roberts said. Franchise owners are close to finalizing a deal for a second location, he said.
The Dayton-area Duck Donuts franchise’s primary owner is Jeff Graham, the former Alter High School, Ohio State University and NFL football standout who is now the head football coach at Trotwood-Madison High School.
After starring on both offense and defense at Alter, Graham was a three-year starter at receiver for the Buckeyes from 1988-90. He made the All-Big Ten first team as a senior, when he was named captain and chosen team MVP. His 1,182 career receiving yards were fourth-most in Ohio State history when his career concluded.
The Pittsburgh Steelers chose Graham in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft. He also played for the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers, catching 542 passes for 8,172 yards and 30 touchdowns during his overall NFL career.
Graham told the Dayton Daily News that he got involved with Duck Donuts through a relationship with UD and its former basketball standout and Trotwood-Madison High School graduate Chris Wright, and with a Charlotte-based attorney, André Walters.
Graham described the Brown Street space as “an ideal location” because of its proximity to UD and Miami Valley Hospital, and because of the heavy foot and vehicle traffic along the street. The 1,240-squarefoot Brown Street space previously housed Bad Frog Yogurt, which closed in October 2016. The retail and dining strip also includes restaurants such as Zombie Dogs, Bibibop, Fusian and PotBelly Sandwiches, among others.
Duck Donuts’ concept allows customers to customize their own doughnut, using a vanilla cake doughnut that is made fresh — it is not dropped into the fryer until the order is placed. Customers then choose their icings, sprinkles and other toppings.
“Duck Donuts is an up-and-coming new franchise that caters to the customer for their own creativity, so they can create a customized doughnut of their liking,” Graham said.
That build-your-own, made-to-order concept is similar to that of District 6 Donuts, which opened two weeks ago at 6 Oakwood Ave., just a half-mile up the street from the future Duck Donuts location. District 6 is an independent shop launched by retired Dayton police officer Bill Parsons and his family.
Roberts said he is confident that Duck Donuts will do well despite the competition.
“The Columbus location has been very successful — people will stand in line for its doughnuts at various times of the day,” Roberts said. “And it’s the best product out there. I eat a lot of doughnuts, and they are the best doughnuts I’ve ever had.”
For more information or to track the progress of Duck Donuts’ UD store, check out the Duck Donuts (Dayton, OH) Facebook page.