Comments on: Winchell’s Last Donut

By: Jim C.

Jim C. — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:04:17 +0000

Meanwhile, in Temple City California, the original Winchell’s donut shop is being converted into a beauty salon according to a recent City Manager’s report:

http://www.ci.temple-city.ca.us/CM%20Reports/2009/2009-12-10%20CM%20Report.pdf,

It’s the item at the bottom of the first page.

By: Brady

Brady — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:06:27 +0000

Bagelry!

By: SeattleAlan

SeattleAlan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:08:23 +0000

I hear you, Doug! Especially if they get the Apple or Blueberry Fritter figured out!!

By: DOUG.

DOUG. — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:35:21 +0000

I would weigh 300 pounds if Mighty-O took over that Winchell’s location.

By: SeattleAlan

SeattleAlan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:36:20 +0000

Hey, Mighty-O!
How about expanding to the old Winchell’s spot? Being local would give you the Wallingford traffic, for sure. It would be a big expansion, though.
I like to sit out front at your place and survey my old neighborhood, when I walk the dog over to your place on occasion. A naked cake donut is my border collie’s favorite treat. She sits and quivers in antici—pation until I’ve given her the whole thing.She even sat & gave the sad dog eyes to someone that had a donut on a plate inside…(didn’t work, though).
I’ll look for that apple fritter in the future. Winchell’s had a blueberry fritter, too.

By: Mighty-O

Mighty-O — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:19:16 +0000

Hey, Alan! Thanks for the Mighty-O flavor request! We are actually working on an apple fritter. At this point, I can’t give you an estimate of when we’ll have it perfected and ready to share, but we are working on it. Apple fritters are yeast-raised, and yeast-raised donuts are a challenge to get consistently right without preservatives.

By: SeattleAlan

SeattleAlan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:13:48 +0000

Hey Doug, I’ll agree with you there. I was just wondering how franchises were treated in Seattle in general. Wouldn’t be too keen on getting the big lights and flashing stuff with the national chains in Wallingford.
Mighty-O does a good job with a donut and has good coffee. My dog & I drop by their Meridan location on her walks. That’s a great idea, and they sure would get more traffic than folks wandering in over in the Meridian neighborhood. Their peanut covered donuts are great. Wonder if they could make an apple fritter???
Anyone have contacts with Mighty-O???

By: DOUG.

DOUG. — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:19:37 +0000

Whatever it is that Seattle’s doing to keep national franchises at bay, I hope they continue to do it. Rancho Bravo, Mighty-O and Molly Moon’s are part of what make Wallingford unique. If they were instead a Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, I might as well live in Irvine.

By: aurora107

aurora107 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:27:50 +0000

Perhaps another enterprising family/person will open a Dunkin’ Donuts there… Winchell’s donuts were nice, but nothing beats a peanut covered donut and the strength of the coffee at DD! Winchell’s coffee was probably some of the worst in Seattle (which means it was probably fine for other locales!).

By: Terry Parkhurst

Terry Parkhurst — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:07:54 +0000

I think that the companies which own the franchises put a lot of pressure on the owners to sell the food – maybe too much. That seemed to be the case with the owners prior to Brian; who in 2002, fired a manager named “Lonnie,” one of the more decent guys to work there. One owner lived in California and let the other guy run the place like some sort of work release facility.

They sold it in late 2003, after creating a lot of ill will with the regulars.

That’s really the crux of the problem. The franchise want business. So a franchise owner comes in, figures I’ll make some changes and the place will be better. What they don’t understand is that while people will accept change that is better, they don’t want change, simply for the sake of change. It destroys that sense of continuity which makes for community.

Burger King and KFC seemed to have problems that went beyond that. I used to eat at the Burger King in Ballard, from time to time, in the earlier part of this decade. The quality of the food wasn’t always good. Additionally, it had no regular clientele. Again, it had the ambience of a bus station; similar to what happeend to the Wallingford Winchell’s before it closed.

Brian’s girlfriend – assuming they are still together – probably doesn’t yet understand the mistakes they made.

By: SeattleAlan

SeattleAlan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:57:26 +0000

I, too, appreciate the historical and well written notes you made, Terry. I am afraid that the girlfriend’s attitude seems to be an attitude for many newbies in the area. “I don’t care about that. I don’t care about what was.” The old business/tradition is gone, so what? Hopefully the “head shops” won’t take over.

I was never one to hang out at Winchell’s. Just grab a donut with the kids on a Saturday morning or while walking the dog. Never had any real interaction with the staff. All seemed pretty friendly over the years.

I wonder if Seattle is a difficult place to be an owner of a franchise. It is weird that the closest Winchell’s now is in the middle of California. Many franchises of national chains have closed and become different businesses. Examples are the Wendy’s on 85th, the KFC on 25th, etc. Any ideas on that?

By: Terry Parkhurst

Terry Parkhurst — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:41:18 +0000

Forgot to mention: the sign for Seattle Mopeds is still up. If you need a graphic for your blog, there it is.

By: Terry Parkhurst

Terry Parkhurst — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:40:15 +0000

You’re welcome. You might also want to write something about yet another retail operation – this a retail and service shop – that has closed in Wallingford: Seattle Mopeds. They were in a building, in the next block east of Winchell’s.

I’d talked to them, a few times and had tried to interest both the North Seattle Herald-Outlook and Seattlepi.com in a story on them. Vera Chan-Pool, who was the editor of the former had expressed interest; with the idea of doing it herself or assigning someone. Seattlepi.com’s Scott Sunde passed. Now, it is all academic.

Maybe they moved somewhere else; but doubt it. There is no sign indicating a move. You might want to call 1977 Mopeds SF, who was affiliated with Seattle Mopeds. Their telephone number was – is? – 1-800-965-1977. I haven’t because I tend to think they closed, too. Besides, I have no assignment to pursue it.

Thing is, Winchell’s really had become more than a bit of an anachronism. But Seattle Mopeds seemed to be something whose time had returned. I write “returned” not only because they dealt in vintage mopeds – restored or just ready to run – but because events, outside of Seattle, seemed to have made the market ripe for mopeds. Just as it was in the late 1970s.

Retail is struggling mightily now. It might be something for the next mayor of Seattle to think about – again and again.

By: Wallyhood

Wallyhood — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:09:57 +0000

Thanks for posting, Terry. I’ve been here only 16 years, and had no idea the history of that place.

By: Terry Parkhurst

Terry Parkhurst — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:59:07 +0000

Correction: Last sentence, next to last paragraph: When I tried to explain to his girlfriend that their new policy of no public restroom, and the no smoking policy, had alienated the regulars, she responded, “I don’t care about that. I don’t care about what was.”