D Square Donuts, home of the square-shaped doughnut, opened its doors Thursday. The store is located off East University Drive in the Winn-Dixie shopping center directly behind McAlister's. D Square Donuts will be open every Tuesday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Because of the hours, nothing a customer orders will be more than four hours old, a distinguishing feature of the store.
"My products are the best when they are enjoyed immediately after being made," said Dennis McKelvy, operations manager of D Square Donuts. "After that they don't have the same quality or original taste,"
Another convenient feature is the pick-up window. "I know when you have a car full of kids, who all want doughnuts, and it's raining outside, it's a lot easier to drive up to a pick-up window and go," McKelvy said.
He described the doughnuts as fluffier and lighter than a regular doughnut. "The doughnuts are similar to beignets out of New Orleans," McKelvy said. Some of his recipes come from an old baker in New Orleans. "What we do that is unusual is we make a hand-made, square doughnut, hence the name," McKelvy said. "It's an almost four inch doughnut that is big, fluffy, and nice."
McKelvy said the shape causes a big attraction to the store.
"The doughnuts are square so you actually get four more bites," McKelvy said. "They are definitely addictive if you eat them while they're hot."
Employees have been working hard for the past two weeks learning how to make the doughnuts. McKelvy wants employees to train before opening so the products will have the quality he intends. "It looks strange at first, but I think it's neat and it gives the doughnut personality," Vince Aragon, a sophomore in journalism and employee of D Square Donuts, said. "I like how the doughnuts are square-shaped because you get an extra bite."
"I have tried beignets in New Orleans and really like the taste and texture better than the traditional doughnut," said Jordon Higgins, a senior in biomedical science. "I was excited to hear they were opening up a doughnut shop selling this type of doughnut, especially since it is close to my apartment. The only other doughnut store in Auburn is Daylight Donuts but that is on the other side of town."
The doughnut store will sell a variety of doughnuts including glazed, topped, cake, filled, and fritters. Toppings range from cinnamon to powdered sugar and fillings include lemon and cherry.
Coffee and other beverages will also be sold. The price for a dozen doughnuts is $6.48. A single doughnut costs 75 cents. Doughnut holes are also available for $1.75.
A distinctive item to be sold is the square john. It is a square shaped doughnut, similar to a long john doughnut.
The square john has frosting on the outside and filling on the inside. "I figured if they could do it with a long doughnut, I could do the same thing with the square doughnut," McKelvy said. In the past, McKelvy said they usually sell doughnuts by the dozen to large corporations.
At this location, there are small tables for customers to come enjoy a doughnut and hot cup of coffee.
Mckelvy anticipates several locations in the future where customers can enjoy these timeless treats.
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