by Alanna Carlson
Walking into Dawn of the Donut, one could almost believe he or she has entered a horror movie — yellow chalk outlines “bodies” on the ground outside, dim light flickers as one walks in the door, worn-down tombstones line the walls and of the room and “bloody” handprints cover the ceiling. These elements lend themselves well to the zombie theme of this little donut shop.
Stepping into Dawn of the Donut (DOTD) for the first time, I was pretty dubious about the over-the-top display of zombie fandom. But that was not going to stop me from buying a dozen delicious donuts. After a few minutes of standing in the shop, the zombie theme started to grow on me. Despite the off-the-wall atmosphere, the place had an intimate feel. I even started to like the “zombie-donut” statue — a super-sized donut with arms and legs and a bite out of it to reveal brains.
The entire shop smells of appetizing baking donuts and its small size evokes feelings of coziness, despite barely-padded, uncomfortable chairs. Soft music plays in the main area of the shop, but for the most part sounds of conversation and occasional clanking metal from the kitchen overwhelm the low buzz of music.
The shop’s friendly staff will patiently spend time helping patrons. Having never visited the shop or eaten any of the donuts, I spouted off a lot of questions, and the staff were more than willing to answer all of them. The workers recommended the “MOAD,” a glazed donut with vanilla drizzle.
I tried a few of the shop’s donuts, including top sellers, such as the “Governor,” a raised bar donut with maple icing and bacon, and the “Bruce Campbell,” a raised ring donut with chocolate icing and Butterfinger crumbles, as well as a donut with Cap’n Crunch cereal on it, called “Rick.” The experimentation with so many different toppings sets DOTD apart, as it adds an uncommon flavor to each of the donuts. The shop also features vegan donuts, which would be perfect for students with egg or dairy allergies.
They also use croissant dough — a new craze around the world — for the MOAD donut, which I found gives the donut a particular flavor. The use of croissant dough surprised me, however, because it makes the donut a little heavier and drier than other donuts.
Tasty as the few that I tried were, I could only eat a few bites at a time. When biting down on my “Governor,” I felt like my mouth could barely fit around the donut. The croissant dough has a thickening effect; the donuts weren’t light and fluffy like they should have been, and almost had too much substance to them. They’re definitely the kind of donut one should not try to eat without a tall glass of milk close by, in my opinion.
The prices are a bit steep for the what the shop offers. If one buys them by the dozen, each donut becomes a little cheaper. But in general, DOTD has higher prices than some other shops in Spokane and lacks quality to back up the cost. For a single “deluxe” donut (the zombie-themed specialties), they charge $2, and a dozen costs $20.
Its close proximity to campus makes DOTD a refreshing location to do homework when one becomes bored of on-campus study spots.
Overall, notwithstanding the individual theme and the friendly staff, the gimmick is not really worth the price. If I’m going to spend $2 on a single donut, it had better be a spectacular donut, and DOTD’s products fell short of that mark. Users on Urbanspoon.com gave DOTD an overall three out of five star rating, and I would agree with that rating. While the donuts are not bad, they are not heavenly either. I might recommend this little shop to a friend who really enjoys The Walking Dead, but I will personally stick to my normal donut shop next time.
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Staff Writer
Contact Alanna Carlson at acarlson17@my.whitworth.edu
Note: A correction was made to this story regarding the number of croissant-dough donuts offered by the shop. The MOAD donut is the only donut that uses the croissant dough. The Whitworthian incorrectly reported that the croissant dough is used for all the donuts at the shop.