ZANESVILLE – It’s Donald’s vs. Donnie’s — and 18 others across the country.
The donut shop contest is back with a new slate of competitors (including Donnie’s Donuts of Atlanta, Georgia) as Zanesville’s very own looks to defend its throne.
Donald’s Donuts had the recipe for success last June when it was announced as the nation’s Best Donut Shop in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It’s been nominated once again for 2026.
“We were busy for weeks. We’d see different states, license plates on the cars. People kind of have a passion for donuts that I don’t quite understand,” owner Tom Warne said of the 2025 win. “We had people coming from all over. It was a big bump, and it was fun. People asking for my autograph. Just weird stuff.
“I had newspaper reporters call me from all over the country. I did tons of telephone newspaper interviews. I did some radio stations, like their morning show. They called in just to talk to me about winning this.”
Now, Warne hopes to repeat.
“I think it’d be exciting. I would love that,” he said. “People from the community kind of (wear) it as a badge of honor. Just proud of their local place, the place that they’ve been going to, the place they’re familiar with being recognized. The community just came together and collectively felt like our guys won.”
Voting, which can be done on USA TODAY’s 10Best website, ends at noon June 8. Voters can make a selection once per day. As of May 19, it was sitting in the number 1 spot in the contest. The top 10 will be revealed June 17.
Seven other contests, like for the country’s best ice cream shops, pie shops, and candy stores, can also be found on the 10Best site. The nominees were made by 10Best’s panel of experts and editors.
Warne has been the sole owner of Donald’s Donuts since 2015. His parents Donald and Barbara Warne opened the shop in 1960. Warne and his cousin Jon Gaylord bought the shop together in 2007.
Depending on the day, Donald’s can produce upward of 600 to 700 dozen donuts and offers 45 different types, including cake donuts, maple cream-filled, honey buns and traditional glazed.
Donald’s Donuts is open from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday hours are 6 a.m. to noon. It is located at 2622 Maple Ave. and can be contacted at 740-453-4749.
Shawn Digity is a reporter for the Zanesville Times Recorder. He can be emailed at sdigity@gannett.com or found on X at @ShawnDigityZTR.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Donald’s Donuts of Zanesville seeks repeat win in USA TODAY’s 10Best
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
