Spudnut
Encyclopedia
Spudnut Shops were a franchised chain of stores selling potato flour donut
s called Spudnuts. The parent company no longer exists, but independent stores remain. The original recipe is based on a folk recipe that traces back to Germany
.
In 1946 the company began establishing a nationwide chain of franchised Spudnut Shops. In 1948, one new franchisee opened a store after paying $50 plus the cost of 100 sacks of spudnut flour. By 1952, when the Peltons were on the cover of the April 1952 edition of Mechanix Illustrated
(“Their Potatoes Make Dough”), a franchise cost $1,750, plus equipment and other costs, for an initial investment of about $5,000.
By 1948, over 200 Spudnut Shops had sprung up across the country. Spudnuts were advertised widely, with the slogan "Coast to coast...Alaska
to Mexico
". The cartoon character "Mr. Spudnut" frequently appeared in ads, restaurants, and even in parades. By mid-1949, the number was over 225, in 31 states. By 1954, the count was up to more than 300 shops in 38 states.
In 1964, Spudnut shops were selling about 400,000 spudnut doughnuts per day. That year, the company announced that it had successfully designed a process of flash freezing
its dough, and announced that it planned to increase its distribution centers. At that time, there were six metropolitan franchise dealers who made fresh dough for distribution to shops that did not want to make their own dough from the dry mix sold by the company.
In 1968 the Pelton brothers retired, selling their company, Spudnut Industries Inc., to National Oven Products, Inc., of Washington state, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pace Industries, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The annual sales of Spudnut Industries was $2 million. The sale prices was $550,000, payable over 5 years, plus 20,000 shares of Pace Industries (worth about $175,000). At the time, there were 315 franchise holders, with combined annual sales of $25 million,, making it the largest doughnut franchise in the United States.
In 1973, Pace sold the company, which it had kept as a separate entity, together with National Oven Products, for $1.3 million, to Dakota Bake-N-Serv, headquartered in Jamestown, North Dakota
. Within a year of the purchase, the new parent company remodeled the Spudnut headquarters in Salt Lake City, and retired "Mr. Spudnut", the company symbol, replacing him with a design showing a spudnut with a bite taken out of it. The mix for the company's signature product continued to be produced at the company plant in Salt Lake City, available as 50 pound bags of dry ingredients or as frozen dough.
By the 1980s, the parent company had closed, leaving all the franchisees to fend for themselves. By late 1989, there were only 28 franchise stores open.
The Spudnuts brand has not disappeared completely, with some 35 Spudnut Shops in nine states still open. A single outlet in Canada was taken over by a bakery shop in 2009, but still bakes the treat once a week. Over the history of Spudnuts, there were over 600 stores around the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. In 1975 there were 170 Spudnut outlets in Japan.
In 2008, Douglas E. Bagley reportedly acquired the Original Spudnut™ ingredient list from Will Bellar who was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Spudnut International from 1970 to 1975.
Potato doughnut
The potato doughnut, sometimes called a Spudnut, is a doughnut, typically sweet, made with either mashed potatoes or potato starch instead of flour, the most common ingredient used for doughnut dough. Potato doughnuts were introduced in the mid-1900s, and a recipe was published in 1938...
s called Spudnuts. The parent company no longer exists, but independent stores remain. The original recipe is based on a folk recipe that traces back to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
After brothers Al and Bob Pelton of Salt Lake City ate potato-based doughnuts in Germany, they tried a number of things, from wheat dough that was flavored with potato water to using mashed potatoes, before creating a dry potato mix that not only worked for them but made it possible to franchise the concept. They coined the word "spudnut", and went into business in 1940.In 1946 the company began establishing a nationwide chain of franchised Spudnut Shops. In 1948, one new franchisee opened a store after paying $50 plus the cost of 100 sacks of spudnut flour. By 1952, when the Peltons were on the cover of the April 1952 edition of Mechanix Illustrated
Mechanix Illustrated
Mechanix Illustrated was an American magazine founded in the first half of the 20th century to compete against the older Popular Science and Popular Mechanics...
(“Their Potatoes Make Dough”), a franchise cost $1,750, plus equipment and other costs, for an initial investment of about $5,000.
By 1948, over 200 Spudnut Shops had sprung up across the country. Spudnuts were advertised widely, with the slogan "Coast to coast...Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
". The cartoon character "Mr. Spudnut" frequently appeared in ads, restaurants, and even in parades. By mid-1949, the number was over 225, in 31 states. By 1954, the count was up to more than 300 shops in 38 states.
In 1964, Spudnut shops were selling about 400,000 spudnut doughnuts per day. That year, the company announced that it had successfully designed a process of flash freezing
Flash freezing
Flash freezing refers to the process in various industries whereby objects are quickly frozen by subjecting them to cryogenic temperatures....
its dough, and announced that it planned to increase its distribution centers. At that time, there were six metropolitan franchise dealers who made fresh dough for distribution to shops that did not want to make their own dough from the dry mix sold by the company.
In 1968 the Pelton brothers retired, selling their company, Spudnut Industries Inc., to National Oven Products, Inc., of Washington state, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pace Industries, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The annual sales of Spudnut Industries was $2 million. The sale prices was $550,000, payable over 5 years, plus 20,000 shares of Pace Industries (worth about $175,000). At the time, there were 315 franchise holders, with combined annual sales of $25 million,, making it the largest doughnut franchise in the United States.
In 1973, Pace sold the company, which it had kept as a separate entity, together with National Oven Products, for $1.3 million, to Dakota Bake-N-Serv, headquartered in Jamestown, North Dakota
Jamestown, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,527 people, 6,505 households, and 3,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.7 per square mile . There were 6,970 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile...
. Within a year of the purchase, the new parent company remodeled the Spudnut headquarters in Salt Lake City, and retired "Mr. Spudnut", the company symbol, replacing him with a design showing a spudnut with a bite taken out of it. The mix for the company's signature product continued to be produced at the company plant in Salt Lake City, available as 50 pound bags of dry ingredients or as frozen dough.
By the 1980s, the parent company had closed, leaving all the franchisees to fend for themselves. By late 1989, there were only 28 franchise stores open.
The Spudnuts brand has not disappeared completely, with some 35 Spudnut Shops in nine states still open. A single outlet in Canada was taken over by a bakery shop in 2009, but still bakes the treat once a week. Over the history of Spudnuts, there were over 600 stores around the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. In 1975 there were 170 Spudnut outlets in Japan.
Ingredients
With the closure of the parent company in the 1980s, the original Pelton mix was no longer available. Existing shops had to create their own recipes.In 2008, Douglas E. Bagley reportedly acquired the Original Spudnut™ ingredient list from Will Bellar who was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Spudnut International from 1970 to 1975.