Saturday, May 9, 2009

things I don't understand - prevalence of donut shops

There are a lot of things I don't understand.

In recent months, I've noticed that there are a ton of donut shops everywhere. And I don't mean places that sell donuts and other stuff too, whether it's grocery stores that sell donuts, convenience stores like 7-11 that sell donuts or places that sell donuts and Chinese food. (What is up with THAT anyway?) I mean donut shops where the main thing they sell is donuts. Sometimes, they sell other minor things too, like maybe bagels or muffins or something, but basically, the majority of their business is selling donuts.

Are there really that many people who eat that many donuts on a regular basis to keep all these donut shops in business? I mean, I like the occasional donut, but I generally know it's not very good for me, even less so than a bagel, and probably not even as good as other baked goods. I thought there was a whole health-conscious, fewer-carbs movement that started some time ago. The Atkins craze put an end to a lot of bread-based businesses. I used to love a store called Le Petite Boulangerie. When I was going to college at Cal, there was one about a block south of campus, and I loved being able to go in there and getting any manner of baguette or other fresh-baked goods. I think they might have gone away before the Atkins craze, but I was really sorry to see them go.

So with all the "eat more healthy" push going on, how are SO MANY donut shops able to stay in business? (Yeah, yeah, I've heard the jokes about the cops - I don't think that's an actual reason.)

I know there's a proliferation of coffee houses, but that at least makes more sense to me, since people addicted to caffeine drink a lot of it over the course of a day. And while drinking too much coffee has its own problems, I don't think it's as big an issue as consuming mass quantities of donuts.

Maybe this is something particular to Southern California, or at least the parts of Southern California that I happen to drive through on my way to work or other things that I do, and it's not the case of having a donut shop practically on every street corner in other places?

I don't understand why there are so many donut shops in business.

2 comments:

Sherry said...

Donuts are cheaper than what they're selling at Starbuck's and all of those types of places...although I don't know why there are so many of them.

I used to work at a La Petite Boulangerie when I was in college, and I loved it, but I'm glad that I don't now, due to the lack of metabolism in my body. ;) They got bought out by Mrs. Field's and then gave way to Java Cafe, and then they were gone. I was sad because I could no longer get my Honey Wheat bread. It was the BEST, and so was everything else we sold.

Angela said...

It's donut hell here in TX. there are 7 donut shops by my house and I live in the country! You are not alone my friend. Perhaps we are seeing a donut invasion?