Duck Donuts Wins Over Hershey

Ethan Bishop, Reporter

It is a donut shop you donut want to miss out on.

Duck Donuts is a relatively new donut shop in Hershey opened on May 19, 2017. Duck Donuts is located at 261 W. Chocolate Ave. The franchise owners are Todd and Stephanie Plummer.

“What makes Duck Donuts different from other donut shops is that you get to fully customize your donuts and the donuts we make are made fresh daily,” said owner Todd Plummer.

At Duck Donuts the donuts are completely customizable, you can pick your icing and the toppings that go on it. The donuts are also made fresh every morning.

The inside of Duck Donuts is very welcoming and colorful. “We tried to make Duck Donuts as welcoming as possible. We have multiple tables inside and outside for dining and colors and posters all around the walls,” said Plummer.

“This is an amazing location for a Duck Donuts, tourists from all over can taste our donuts and locals can have our donuts close by” said Plummer. “This location is even one of the most selling Duck Donuts,” said Plummer.

Duck Donuts is sponsoring Autism Speaks this month for Quack Gives Back. Quack Gives Back is a fundraiser held every month with a different organization. Duck Donuts sponsors a different organization each month. Autism Speaks is a charity that helps autistic students in schools. Previously, Duck Donuts has sponsored a breast cancer charity called “Feel Your Boobie” and the Vista School in Hershey.

“We really feel here at Duck Donuts that we should give back to the community. We sponsor a different organization each month,” said Plummer.

Duck Donuts caters dozens and dozens of donuts to meetings, celebrations, parties, weddings, and occasions of all types. “Catering is a really hard for us,” said Plummer, “Sometimes, like even today I have to wake up close to 3 in the morning just to make the donuts.”

Duck Donuts started out in Outer Banks, NC with owner Russell A. DiGilio. Duck Donuts started out small but now has over 180 locations in 22 states.

The name of Duck Donuts was made by DiGilio and his previous partner, Robin Griffith. DiGilio stated that after months of investigations on the right recipes and toppings that the name just hit them. After the name was developed, there was stopping the development of their first store.

“One of the best things about my job is serving the community. One of the best feeling is when we give the customer exactly what they want,” said Plummer. “Customer service is really one thing we focus on. We always will try to give the customer what they want.”

Customer service is really important to sustaining customers. According to American Express Survey, 78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience. Making the customer happy is paramount make companies grow.

“To stay connected with us you can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @DuckDonuts,” said Plummer.

Companies have to stay on social media to keep customers. According to Fortune, “Nine out of 10 U.S. companies, in fact, are already using social media. And they’re already seeing concrete results: 90% of businesses see increased exposure and more than half report improved sales from social media.”

“We hope that you will come in and try a Duck Donuts donut some time soon,” said Plummer.

The Duck Donuts menu hangs on the back wall in the shop. The donuts at Duck Donuts are completely customizable and are made fresh daily. (Broadcaster/Ethan Bishop)
A dozen donuts from Duck Donuts in Hershey taken on April 25, 2018. Duck Donuts has endless combinations of donut flavors.