A crowd of people stand in line outside a small store in Cottleville, filled with anticipation. Inside, donuts of every kind are being sold by the dozen. A frantic call is placed to Florissant to send a baker, send a salesman for the counter, send somebody. The presence of the crowd, days after the grand opening on April 9, marks the beginning of a new store and a new era for Old Town Donuts.
“I think it’s very exciting,” manager Tom Friedhoff said. “It’s something we’ve been looking forward to for over half a decade.”
Open since 1968, the original location in Florissant has over the years drawn in people near and far. Their attraction to customers in both St. Louis and St. Charles was a reason for choosing Cottleville as their new location.
“We knew we wanted to expand in that direction, and customer demand is what made us settle on that location,” Friedhoff said.
Customers and employees alike have remained faithful to Old Town Donuts over the years because of the quality of the food and atmosphere. Their menu features 48 different items, ranging from jelly-glazed donuts to orange blossom muffins.
“[Their food] is very satisfying,” junior Trevor Atnip said. “The long john was like chocolate awesomeness. It was very good.”
In 2009, Old Town Donuts was voted the No. 1 donut shop in St. Louis. Many feel that the shop’s closeness with the community and welcoming environment has also helped the store’s reputation.
“In Florissant it’s like one big family,” employee Robyn Mahoney said. “Everyone is very close, probably because it’s a family run business and not a franchise.”
While the Florissant location has traditionally gone for the older feel, the new one is striving for more of a “21st Century” mood and audience. Features unique to the Cottleville store include more open space, Wi-Fi capacity, and a larger variety of coffee. Friedhoff hopes that the new face of Old Town Donuts can make a name for itself while embracing the traditions of where it came.
“Donuts are simple, they’re something that anyone could do, but in our opinion we have some of the best donuts,” Friedhoff said. “Hopefully with time we can continue to flourish and expand, and become a part of the community here like we did in Florissant.”
