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Daily Dozen Doughnut Company

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Coordinates: 47°36′31″N 122°20′25″W / 47.6087°N 122.3403°W / 47.6087; -122.3403
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Daily Dozen Doughnut Company
Photograph of a stall with a display case at a market
The Daily Dozen Doughnut Company stall at Pike Place Market (2022)
Map
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Barbara Elza
Street address93 Pike Street
CitySeattle
CountyKing
StateWashington
Postal/ZIP Code98101
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47°36′31″N 122°20′25″W / 47.6087°N 122.3403°W / 47.6087; -122.3403

Daily Dozen Doughnut Company is a doughnut shop at Seattle's Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington. Operated by Barbara Elza since c. 1989, the stall features a 1930s "Donut Robot", and is widely known for its hot, freshly made miniature doughnuts that are served in a paper bag. Daily Dozen has garnered a generally positive reception and has been included in several overviews of Seattle's best doughnuts. In 2010, the business was listed in a Bon Appétit feature on "America's Best Donuts".

Description

Daily Dozen serves small doughnuts from a stall in the Economy Market building at Pike Place Market in Seattle's Central Waterfront district.[1] Varieties have included plain, cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate with sprinkles,[2] as well as seasonal specials.[3] Fodor's says Daily Dozen offers "adorable, made-while-you-watch minidoughnuts dusted in powdered sugar".[4]

An automated Belshaw Brothers machine[5] invented in the 1930s called the "Donut Robot"[6][7] creates doughnuts in rows of four.[8] Described by the Chicago Tribune as a "mesmerizing contraption that plops rings of batter into oil", it sends the batter "down the oil river like the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland", and eventually flips the doughnuts "golden and bulbous onto cooling racks."[9] Tourists often point their cameras through the glass,[9] and children can sometimes be seen crowding around the stall to watch.[8][10]

History

Photograph of doughnuts on a conveyer belt machine
Belshaw Donut Maker

Daily Dozen is owned by Barbara Elza, who has operated the shop since c. 1989.[6][11] In 1997, the shop was processing 16 kilograms of flour daily.[8]

In June 2009, Elza put up a rainbow flag behind the Daily Dozen counter for Pride Month, and received a call from her landlord a week later, asking her to take it down. The dispute was soon covered by The Stranger, and the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) was flooded with angry phone calls. Elza presented her case to the PDA and the Pike Place Market Historical Commission, and was given permission to display the flag each year in June. However, in July 2012, she decided to leave the flag up indefinitely, triggering further discussions with the authority.[11]

In 2022, to commemorate Pike Place Market's 115th anniversary, the business gave free doughnuts and beverages to the first 115 guests on August 17.[12]

Reception

Photograph of a food menu display
Menu display, 2022

In 2006, Seattle Weekly selected Daily Dozen for the "best place to pack on the pounds at a moment's notice" and said:

The hot, freshly made little gems are so deceptively nonthreatening and bite-sized that you tend to eat them like popcorn, which, in the ugly real world, can be the cause of a disturbing revelation when you look down into your paper bag and realize you've mowed your way through 12 doughnuts without so much as a burp. Powdered, chocolate-iced, sprinkled, or—our favorite—plain and golden, the goodies are a steal at a couple of bucks per dozen. But don't say we didn't warn you.[13]

Andrew Knowlton included the shop in Bon Appétit's 2010 overview of "America's best donuts".[14] Jess Thomson's book Pike Place Market Recipes (2012) says Daily Dozen makes doughnuts "to the pure thrill of kids and adults alike".[15] In 2013, KOMO-TV's Lindsay Cohen described the shop as "a Pike Place Market mainstay for nearly 30 years".[16] In The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin (2014), Michael Krondl said Daily Dozen "serves the freshest donuts you may ever buy".[17]

Photograph of doughnuts in a paper bag
Paper bag of a dozen assorted doughnuts, 2022

In Food Lovers' Guide to Seattle (2015), Laurie Wolf wrote, "A doughnut shop that has been around for over 20 years and still has a line almost all day long, the charm of this place is in its simplicity: fresh, hot mini doughnuts, served in a brown paper bag, heating the roof of your mouth on a chilly day, the aroma taunting you as you wait in line."[18] In 100 Things to Do in Seattle Before You Die (2015), Athima Chansanchai said the doughnuts are "fun-sized, so go crazy with at least a half dozen" and recommended, "Better yet, make it a dozen, because when they're made in front of you, self-deprivation loses. And, they're cheap!"[19] Lynsi Burton of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer included Daily Dozen in a 2016 overview of the city's best doughnuts.[10] The newspaper included the doughnuts in a 2021 list of 26 "icon Seattle bites".[20]

Thrillist says, "Perfectly fried-up and crispy, the mini donuts at Daily Dozen are a famous staple of Pike Place Market and ensure you'll be anything but mini after you've made them part of your morning routine."[21] The business was included in Thrillist's 2016 list of Seattle's best doughnut shops. The website said doughnuts are "served almost immediately, still hot and deliciously greasy" and "are so good you'll want at least... wait for it... a dozen!"[2] Serious Eats notes that the fact that the mini doughnuts are "actually plucked from the Donut Robot II conveyer belt" may mean they have "a little more oil, but we won't complain".[7]

Daily Dozen topped KSTW's 2018 list of Seattle's top five doughnut shops.[22] In Eater's 2019 overview of "the greatest places to eat in Seattle's greatest tourist trap", Lesley Balla said, "Sharing a brown paper bag of sprinkle-topped or powdered sugar doughnuts with someone is cool, especially if the doughnuts are hot."[1] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Eater Seattle included Daily Dozen in a list of "where to get some delightful doughnuts for takeout in the Seattle area".[23] Eater Seattle's Mark Van Streefkerk included Daily Dozen in a 2022 list of "delightful" doughnuts in the Seattle metropolitan area.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Balla, Lesley (2019-06-05). "The Culinary Wonders of Seattle's Pike Place Market". Eater. Vox Media. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  2. ^ a b "Seattle's Best Donut Shops". Thrillist. Vox Media. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  3. ^ a b Streefkerk, Mark Van (2016-02-15). "Delightful Doughnuts in the Seattle Area". Eater Seattle. Vox Media. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  4. ^ Fodor's Seattle. Fodor's. 2017-07-25. ISBN 978-0-14-754683-8.
  5. ^ Krondl, Michael (2014). The donut: history, recipes, and lore from Boston to Berlin (1st ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-61374-673-8. OCLC 879372163.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ^ a b Chynoweth, Kate (2004-09-22). "Hole-y-grail". Sunset. ISSN 0039-5404. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  7. ^ a b Levine, Ed (2011-11-01). Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are. Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony. ISBN 978-0-307-95331-5.
  8. ^ a b c Polak, Monique; Shenker, Michael (September 16, 1997). "A market full of fresh experiences". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2022-11-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Pang, Kevin (August 4, 2013). "The heart of Seattle: Pike Place Market brims with good food options". Chicago Tribune. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-12-10 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b Burton, Lynsi (2016-04-11). "Seattle's best doughnuts". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Communications. ISSN 0745-970X. OCLC 3734418. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  11. ^ a b Whitely, James (October 26, 2012). "Our flag at the Market: Doughnut vendor ruffles feathers displaying pride banner". Seattle Gay News. Retrieved 2022-11-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Baume, Matt (2022-08-15). "Happy 115th Birthday to Pike Place! Here's a Doughnut". The Stranger. ISSN 1935-9004. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  13. ^ "Best Cholesterol Fix: What's the most fat-filled, calorie-laden, artery-busting food in the world?". Seattle Weekly. Sound Publishing. 2006-10-09. ISSN 0898-0845. OCLC 17527271. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  14. ^ Knowlton, Andrew (2010-03-12). "America's Best Donuts, Part 2". Bon Appétit. Condé Nast. ISSN 0006-6990. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  15. ^ Thomson, Jess (2012-05-08). Pike Place Market Recipes: 130 Delicious Ways to Bring Home Seattle's Famous Market. Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-57061-799-7.
  16. ^ Cohen, Lindsay (2013-02-06). "Report: Microsoft, Boeing stash money offshore to dodge tax bills". KOMO-TV. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  17. ^ Krondl, Michael (2014-06-01). The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-61374-673-8.
  18. ^ Wolf, Laurie (2015-01-20). Food Lovers' Guide to® Seattle: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-1662-4.
  19. ^ Chansanchai, Athima (2015-01-29). 100 Things to Do in Seattle Before You Die. Reedy Press LLC. ISBN 978-1-935806-91-2.
  20. ^ "Have you tried all 26 of these iconic Seattle bites?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  21. ^ "Daily Dozen Doughnut Co". Thrillist. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  22. ^ "Sweet Treats: Check Out The Top 5 Doughnut Shops In Seattle". KSTW. 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  23. ^ "Where to Get Some Delightful Doughnuts for Takeout in the Seattle Area". Eater Seattle. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
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