The dungeon is no place for punishment anymore according to Dungeon Donuts, Battle Ground’s newest donut shop located in the basement of Old Town Battle Grounds on Main Street.
Instead, this dungeon is filled with donuts of all flavors, so donut lovers of every kind can find one that will delight their taste buds. The shop officially opened on March 31 of this year after a few construction delays, and so far, it’s been bringing plenty of donut enthusiasts in to try their unique donuts.
Diane Harris, owner of the shop and self-proclaimed “Dungeon Master,” shares that part of the reason why they chose Battle Ground for the business was because there was a need in the area.
“Dungeon Donuts was born out of the need for quality donuts in Battle Ground,” Harris said. “The only place making daily donuts closed and that left a void in our little (not so little anymore) town.”
The shop is run by eight employees, four of them full time, and is managed by Harris’ son, Kellyn Crossland. Together, they produce fresh donuts daily. There are a wide range of classic donuts and cake-style donuts, as well as giant fritters and fancy selections such as the maple bacon flavor. Sprinkles are a popular choice among the younger crowd and for donuts with berry or lemon filling, there is plenty on the top of the donut rather than on the inside. Chocolate coconut bars and maple bars abound, and the team is working out recipes for seasonal donuts for the upcoming change to autumn, as well.
“Our donuts are the bomb,” Harris said. “We aren’t trying to pretend we are something we are not – we’re a donut shop.”
The entrance to Dungeon Donuts is located on the left of the main coffee shop entrance and upon entering, customers are greeted with a friendly staff, a large glass case of fresh-made donuts and life size Blues Brothers statues. Harris believes that her business’ entry into Battle Ground will help give Old Town an even greater edge.
“Battle Ground is growing very fast and we’d like to think that Old Town has an edge with new shops, fantastic restaurants and even a food truck – a little something for everyone,” Harris said. “Dungeon Donuts just adds to the quaintness of this end of town, bringing sweetness and fun.”
Harris said that the last several months of business has been a learning curve, but so far, they are going with the flow. While space may become an issue later down the road, she is confident that she and the team will figure out how to address growth and they plan to learn more and more about the donut culture. Harris is confident that her future holds many more donuts.
“We’re continually trying to figure out how to make more,” she said. “Keeping up with the demand can be daunting and our business is very fluid right now as we learn the flow of customers. Everyone loves a good donut, but they crave a great donut, and we make great donuts.”
