July 16, 2024

A locally owned doughnut shop is adding a second location to keep up with its growing wholesale business.

The new Mr. Donuts that’s coming to the former Hardee’s building at 1010 E. 10th St. also will serve east-side customers, owner Stev Meas said.

He has painted the exterior of the building in bright shades of red, yellow and blue, freshened up the interior while keeping the tables and booths, and removed old kitchen equipment. Now, he’s waiting for city approval before installing new equipment for making doughnuts.

Once the plans are approved, Meas hopes to be open in four to six weeks.

“Because we do wholesale, we need more space,” Meas said. All the baking for those accounts will shift to the new location, he said. That includes Circle K stores in the area, Sunshine Foods in Brandon and several video lottery casinos. Meas plans to grow that business with the additional capacity.

Baking is done in two shifts at the original location at 1100 S. Minnesota Ave. The process of making doughnuts for the wholesale accounts starts the day before to allow time for delivery to the businesses, followed by overnight baking for the shop’s customers.

“It takes a long time to make doughnuts,” he said, noting that the process from mixing ingredients to the finished product takes eight hours.

Meas’ wife, son, brother and a friend are among those working in the business.

In addition to a wide variety of doughnuts, Mr. Donuts — not to be confused with Mister Donut — sells breakfast and lunch sandwiches on croissants and bagels. It also serves Texas kolaches, which is a hot dog-sized cheddar sausage that’s wrapped in sweet dough and baked.

The shop makes other pastries, including French crullers, which Meas learned to make in California where he lived before moving to Sioux Falls two years ago.

He bought the business from the partnership that started it in 2021.

With the expansion, Meas is planning to add mochi, a Japanese-inspired doughnut that’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. “They’re very popular in Omaha,” he said.

The new location will have a drive-thru like the original, which is in a former Taco John’s building.

Hours will be the same at both sites: 5 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday and 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Hardee’s closed late last year. The other two locations in Sioux Falls remain open.