ZANESVILLE – It’s the Long Johns. It’s the glazed and jelly-filled ones.
Owner Tom Warne’s favorite is a plain maple cake donut.
Donald’s Donuts is still on top and, for a second time, has been named the Best Donut Shop in the country by voters of USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
“I’m amazed. It’s absolutely fantastic,” Warne said. “This is something the community did for us. The amazing part of it to me is the community thinks that much of us to vote that often and get us this honor. I’m proud of everyone that comes in and buys our donuts.”
The contest and secret to winning
Donald’s was up against 18 other bakeries across the U.S., all of which were nominated by a panel of experts and editors. The top 10 were announced June 17, similar to how the contest unfolded a year ago.
And if the aftermath is anything like 2025, Donald’s will be busier than ever.
Customer foot traffic jumped by as much as 40%, Warne estimated last year. Local visitors and regulars stopped by to share their congratulations and appreciation, distant travelers came from other states and big cities to sample the award-winning pastries.
The secret to the winning recipe is simple.
“The main thing is consistency,” Warned shared. “We’ve been the exact same donut shop since I started in 1984 and even to 1960 when Dad started the company.”
Consistency was something Warne highlighted in June 2025, too, when Donald’s Donuts won the first time. It’s remained the same for the past year and for more than six decades, whether that be the rolling, the proofing, or the frying.
Donald’s Donuts was opened by Warne’s parents Donald and Barbara. He and his cousin Jon bought the business in 2007, and Warne has been the sole owner since 2015.
Now, he’s assisted by the third generation, his daughter Frances, and a staff of around 12 others. One of them is sales associate Lacole Ford, who helps make 45 different types of pastries and 600 to 700 dozen donuts on weekends.
Community, nostalgia, loyalty fuel success
“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Now, I work here,” Ford said.
She’s been at Donald’s Donuts for just over a year, so she had just started when the shop won the award in 2025. She feels like a much bigger contributor to the brand for its second award, she shared.
“Voted No. 1. twice in a row (is) a pretty great thing,” she added. “It feels great to be part of something that’s so amazing about the community. It’s great to be part of (something) people love… Beside the taste of the (donuts), I think there’s a lot of nostalgia for a lot of people.”
Dan Miracle, a Zanesville resident and donut shop regular, comes to Donald’s almost every day. On June 17, he did the same thing he usually does. He bought a donut, this time a creme-filled Long John, and sat down with a cup of coffee.
“They deserve to be No. 1 because they got good donuts. That’s just it. They got great donuts” Miracle said simply on Donald’s second award. “They (have) good variety, and I meet a lot of people up here.”
He was soon joined by his buddy Gerald Corns and then by Kelly Swims and her granddaughters Clara and Lana Swan.
There’s another ingredient in the shop’s success, one that’s community-oriented, Warne explained. It could be specials or dedicated donuts to certain causes or organizations, like Juneteenth donuts for the Gant Foundation.
“The connection with the community is something I especially enjoy, being able to help organizations out and perpetuate a little change here and there where I live,” Warned shared.
“I love what I do… I just have enormous pride in what Mom and Dad built. I’ve been lucky to find that one thing that has given me satisfaction in my career.”
Donald’s is open 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 to noon on Sunday. It can be reached at 740-453-4749 and followed on Facebook.
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: Still glazing the competition, Donald’s tops nation for second year
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder | USA TODAY Network
