There's Always A Line Out The Door At This Teeny Tiny Donut Shop In Indiana
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published September 13, 2018
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
Indiana’s most famous donuts are located in an area of the state that is very overlooked and underrated. The town of Kokomo is located about 40 miles east of Lafayette, and there’s a tiny donut shop there that has gained more popularity than any other.
Good prices and unique hours are what keep locals coming to this place. Scroll on to find out why people line up down the street before the sun even rises.
Believe it or not, Dan's Variety Bakery opens at 1 a.m. every morning and every Hoosier wants to be first in line. The place originally opened in 1975, but the owner began working in bakeries when he was 15 years old before opening his own 20 years later.
This tiny donut shop is family-run, and it started off in a small shack (not far from the current location) where the business thrived for 10 years before moving to its Union Street spot in 1985. Hard work, good prices, and a great product have kept this place alive for more than four decades.
There wasn't always a line out the door, though. It gained fame as a place to go late at night for donuts due to the unique time that it opens and the increasing trend of people wanting a place to go after the bars or as a way to extend the night.
People love to come out to this place for a budget-friendly donut that tastes like heaven. The recipe for these delicious pastries is so secret that it's locked away in a safe. The bakery sells about 200 donuts on a slow night and three times as many on the weekends.
Locals are known to bring lawn chairs and basically tailgate on the busiest nights, when people start lining up about 90 minutes before the doors open. The steady stream of customers often does not end until noon when it closes for the day.
If you’ve ever been to this tiny donut shop, we’d love to hear from you. How long did you have to wait in line? Share your experiences with us below in the comments.
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