NEW CEDAR FALLS HURTS DONUT LOCATION SETS RECORD

NATHAN STEPHANY, RUN THE VALLEY EDITOR

“With all the traffic coming through, we’re getting opportunities like custom donuts and chances to be creative with what we’re outputting,” Jenny Nelson, general manager of the Cedar Falls Hurts Donut Company, said.

Hurts Donut Company opened a new location in downtown Cedar Falls on Nov. 4, and has seen non-stop foot traffic since. The location set a record for the most donut pre-sales in a single day of any Hurts in America.

“We’ve been slammed out the door constantly,” Nelson said. “Being downtown in Cedar Falls, in an area that’s developing constantly really puts us in the heart of a community. It’s amazing and it works to market tirelessly to bring new patrons down here to experience all these new businesses, including us.”

As with any other Hurts location, it is not a typical donut shop. Large glass cases offer countless options of donuts changing constantly from day to day. Customers can purchase their own donut selections or take a chance with a Hurts dozen, where employees select a dozen for the customer. Hurts’ coupon shirts are one way to bring in new customers.

Customers purchase a shirt and wear it to a Hurts location to buy one donut and get another free. The emergency donut vehicle, parked in front of the store, was once an ambulance and is used to cater to special events.

“We’ve got people who’ve said they’ve driven two or three hours to come here,” Nelson said. “Hurts is unique, and because of that it’s this locations duty to provide for all the people of northeast Iowa.”