The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Fractured Prune Doughnuts opens in Audubon
LOWER PROVIDENCE » Prunella would be proud.
Her legend has made it all the way from Ocean City, Md. to Audubon Square in Lower Providence, in the form of fresh hot cake doughnuts made to order, which, sadly, the poor dear herself never got to taste in her lifetime.
The tale of Prunella Shriek, a plucky 19th Century athlete who was in the habit of injuring herself — “Fractured Prunella,” her friends called her — playing against men in such sports as skiing and ice skating, is available for customers to enjoy at Fractured Prune Doughnuts, as they consider which of more than a dozen house-made, honey-based glazes and toppings will help create their individualized specialty doughnuts.
The lore is just part of the attraction that drew owners Steve and Kathie Kotch to the franchise, which started in 1976 as a small shop in Ocean City, Md., with a founder who wanted to pay homage in his own quirky way to a hometown hero by naming the shop after her.
“It is a little quirky … I’m a little bit quirky,” said Steve Kotch, laughing.
A former sporting goods salesman, Steve recalled being impressed by the huge loyal following the chain had developed, and how quickly the doughnuts were selling out at a Jersey shore location he visited a few times.
“We love to vacation in Sea
Isle City, so one morning I made the run for hot doughnuts, came back, and they were gone in minutes. So I thought this might be a concept we wanted to check out,” he noted. “It started as a single store that began to franchise out, and now there are almost 30 locations.”
Kathie added, “At the shore, customers will wait an hour to get their doughnuts.”
Anxious to launch a business of their own, the Lower Providence couple looked into a few different franchises and ultimately preferred the personal aspects of the Fractured Prune operation.
“They want to meet their franchisees first and get to know them,” Kathie said.
The made-to-order element is hitting an evergrowing trend in the food industry, said Steve, who saw evidence of that demand through the number of customers clamoring for their doughnuts the first week the shop opened in the former home of Starbucks.
“There was definitely a pent-up demand. The new West Chester store was the same when they opened. I think a lot of customized gourmet things these days are popular. We love this location and are really excited to be here,” Steve said. “We had such a good experience going through the construction process.”
The Starbucks employees, now working at the new Starbucks location in the Audubon Square Extension, stopped in to give their approval of the renovated space, with its cheerful orange walls and signature colors of green and purple, Steve said.
“They were amazed at how much bigger it looks now than when it was Starbucks,” he said.
Due to some of their younger staff members ’ changing availability now that school is starting, Steve and Kathie are looking to expand their already huge staff with those who are at least 18 years of age who can be trained to run the equipment.
Rather than concoct their own doughnut flavors many customers prefer to rely on trusted pre-determined favorites, Steve said.
“A lot of our favorites are very popular ... blueberry glaze and powdered sugar (Blueberry Hill); honey glaze and cinnamon sugar (OC Sand, the most popular doughnut across the chain); maple glaze and cinnamon sugar (French Toast.)
The featured flavor for August is Key Lime.
Colorful sprinkles are always popular with kids, while adults lean toward offerings like the Morning Buzz, which features decaffeinated ground coffee in the glaze and a cookie crumb topping.
For those purists who favor the taste of a traditional plain doughnut, there’s the Plain Jane.
Doughnuts are sold two for $3.89, six for $8.99 and a dozen for $14.99.
“The doughnuts are always sold hot. If they get cold they’re discarded,” Steve said.
Some customers will, in fact, take home a dozen and stick them in the ‘fridge, Kathie added.
“They say they’re delicious cold, but I’ve never tried that way myself,” she noted.
Hot or cold, “doughnuts always make people happy,” Kathie said, smiling.
Fractured Prune Doughnuts is at 2630 Egypt Road, Audubon. Hours are 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Phone number is 484-370-2176.