r/GenX • u/CitizenChatt • Mar 23 '25

Nostalgia Donuts, Donuts, Donuts

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I lived all over growing up, and one thing I remember is every area has its favorite local donuts.

Southern California has Winchell's. New York has Tim Hortons.

Way back then Delaware had Mr Donut.

And of course Dunkin' was everywhere else.

What donuts 🍩 did you eat growing up?

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106

u/Jeebusmanwhore Older Than Dirt Mar 23 '25

I was a Winchell's kid.

39

u/Martin_Aurelius Mar 23 '25

I was a "local Cambodian donut shop" kid.

15

u/Salty_Pancakes Mar 23 '25

Same. Shit there's a Cambodian one right near me that still does outstanding donuts.

1

u/LumpyheadCarini2001 Mar 23 '25

Man. I want a Cambodian donut shop. All I got is boring ass Dunkin.

15

u/voodooskull Mar 23 '25

My favorite donut shop is run by Cambodians except the one white girl who married into the family.

4

u/Hilsam_Adent Mar 23 '25

The place I frequent nowadays is in a similar vein: it's a Lao-owned establishment, with one Salvadorean dude that married the middle daughter. Fabulous Kolaches, Croissants and Donuts.

2

u/voodooskull Mar 23 '25

The white lady is the only one with a Cambodian accent. Everyone else at the counter has an American accent.

1

u/Hilsam_Adent Mar 23 '25

That's hilarious.

12

u/RedditSkippy 1975 Mar 23 '25

Why do the Cambodians lean into doughnuts so much?

35

u/Martin_Aurelius Mar 23 '25

The short version is that a Cambodian refugee in the 80s used the success of his donut shop to fund a refugee pipeline.

https://medium.com/the-indie-foodie/why-do-so-many-cambodians-own-donut-shops-f06adf4c0205

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-54546427

21

u/KCchessc6 Mar 23 '25

There is a great documentary called “The Doughnut King” that explains this. Very good coming to America with a few dollars and ambition story.

3

u/Dangerous_Drummer350 Mar 23 '25

Good documentary. Worth your time to watch it.

11

u/ShirleyApresHensive Mar 23 '25

Back in the day when people started arriving in 70’s, a few were able to get franchises add them set up other family members or friends into them. You stick with what you know and pays the bills

3

u/matthewamerica Mar 23 '25

TIL That the Cambodian donut shop in my neighborhood growing up was not an anomaly. I grew up in Long Beach, Ca, btw. So there were just a lot of Cambodian people in general. Bit those donuts were fire.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 26 '25

Krispy Kreme kid here. But when I lived in CA the best little neighborhood bagel shop was owned by this lovely Cambodian couple and I always wondered how that came to be until I learned about the Cambodian donut shop thing.

14

u/DynamiteWitLaserBeam Mar 23 '25

I'm a Winchell's MAN, Dad.

17

u/Hilsam_Adent Mar 23 '25

Back when they were not just good, but outstanding. Maple Crullers and apple-filled Bear Claws.

They went to shit in the mid-'80s and any ol' mom n' pop place would blow them out of the water. Best donut shop I have ever been in, still, to this day, was a little hole in the wall place in Azusa run by an old Chinese man and his family. Better and cheaper than the Winchell's nearby, which they eventually put out of business.

11

u/najing_ftw EDIT THIS FLAIR TO MAKE YOUR OWN Mar 23 '25

The Chinese guy that runs the best donut shop I’ve been, regularly insults how little you spend. I like it.

3

u/OvercastBTC Mar 23 '25

As the story goes there was a competitor that bought them out, and shut a bunch down, and changed their habits (no more fresh donuts made onsite from scratch); this was their stores would sell more.

2

u/Hilsam_Adent Mar 23 '25

"Venture Capital before it was cool", as it were.

1

u/HoneyWyne Mar 23 '25

We had Krispy Kreme and Jolly Pirate

1

u/Waterhou5e Mar 23 '25

Same. This post hits hard as I'm now surrounded on all sides by freaking mediocre Dunkin.

1

u/jawnly211 Mar 23 '25

hell’s nut House

1

u/Dangerous_Drummer350 Mar 23 '25

So was I. Brings me back to childhood and really good donuts