The shop specializes in all things doughnut, with tasty treats made right before your eyes.
| Palm Beach Post
WELLINGTON — The smell is the first thing to welcome you when you step through the door of Factory Donuts in Wellington.
It’s a sweet aroma that for some will take you back to childhood early mornings on the porch with your grandparents, biting into a fresh doughnut while they sip their coffees and crickets chirp in the yard.
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But with this standout doughnut shop, you don’t choose from trays of premade doughnuts. Instead, sizzling rings of cake batter are dropped fresh to order into a fryer, then dressed to each customer’s liking with a range of icings and toppings in a process that takes all of five minutes.
The options and nostalgia abound at this new restaurant in the Pointe at Wellington Green shopping plaza outside the Mall at Wellington Green.
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Co-owners David Spector and Adam Hodges with partner Paulie Fox opened the chain’s first franchise in Palm Beach County in September — becoming a name on the list of restaurants to open during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Spector fell in love with the idea of opening a doughnut shop after discovering one in North Carolina that had a similar concept to Factory Donuts.
This is the first foray into the restaurant business for Spector and Hodges, attorneys who lead a team of insurance fraud investigators and litigators at the Holland & Knight law firm.
“He called me and said, ‘Hey, do you want to get a doughnut shop?’” Hodges said. “My instant response, it was just a straight, ‘Yes.’”
The pair began researching concepts and fell in love with Philadelphia-based Factory Donuts.
“We felt it was a unique product for our market,” Spector said, who described their first experience at Factory Donuts HQ as “two bumbling lawyers making doughnuts for a couple of days.”
Hodges and Spector were at their final franchisee training in Philadelphia in mid-March when closures began to hit as officials rushed to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
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“It was really surreal as we were watching the world change,” Spector said.
While the virus slowed down the process of opening, it didn’t stem the tide of enthusiasm from Wellington residents. Factory Donuts quickly built an excited following on Facebook, where eager followers waited on the grand opening announcement.
“It’s been fantastic,” Spector said. “We’ve had an initial tremendous support.”
Hodges and Spector brought in Fox, who has 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, to help establish Factory Donuts’ presence in Wellington. They also plan to open two more stores in northern and southern Palm Beach County.
Spector compares the Factory Donuts experience to that of Chipotle, with diners customizing their orders as the food is prepared in front of them.
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Each doughnut is made hot and fresh to order, with the batter dropped into the fryer as the order is placed.
The doughnuts come out of the fryer and head right to the decoration station, where customers can choose from 24 flavor combination options — including the decadent mint chocolate chip and maple-bacon flavors — or design their own from the 15 icings and 13 toppings available.
The doughnut-making process has been popular with families, as children stand captivated at the counter and watch their treats being made, Hodges said.
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“And they’re not boxed in by the 24,” he said of the flavor options, adding that they’ve seen some wild combinations concocted by children who have visited the restaurant so far.
“A lot of thought went into this, to make it more than just a doughnut shop where people are walking in and out,” Hodges said.
Factory Donuts also serves coffee and breakfast sandwiches. They have a smaller “nugget” doughnut option, which can be customized for party trays, Spector said.
The restaurant also has tables and a counter where people can stay to eat. At the counter, parents taking a break between school and soccer practice can charge their phones while grabbing a snack, Spector said.
During a pandemic when the world can feel chaotic, Spector and Hodges have created a space to wind down and revel in a good, hot doughnut.
“And unlike our competition, we never run out,” Spector said.
Factory Donuts
Address: 10120 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 160, Wellington
Phone: 561-360-3922
More information: www.factorydonuts.com/locations/wellington
@kristinawebb
