Here for Donuts

Come on in. We’ve got fresh donuts for you.

The bright yellow awnings are visible before turning the corner onto Broadway. The neon “Open” sign a beacon, welcoming patrons in. Here, it seems to say, this is the place. Come on in. We’ve got fresh donuts for you. John’s Donuts. 

***

The street was dark as we crossed to the only lit-up building. It was 11:30pm and Joel and I recently learned about a donut shop that is open all night and through the morning rush. We were newlyweds who had nothing better to do on a Friday night in the summer of 2013, so we decided to check it out. 

I need to be honest with you, though. This wasn’t the first time Joel and tried to go to John’s. The first time was a week or two before, on a Saturday night. We hadn’t yet realized that they are closed Saturday night and Sunday morning. A rookie mistake, leaving us sad, hungry, and tired.

“With good, solid, donut information under our belts, we were ready to challenge those same belts with fried rings of dough. ”

This time, we had done our research. You might not have gathered this from my calm, cool, blogging aesthetic (is that even the right use of the word aesthetic?), but I am a fairly high-strung person and new things make both Joel and myself anxious. So we did what we Grasses do best and scoured the internet for information on this elusive shop. Mostly, we looked on Yelp. With good, solid, donut information under our belts, we were ready to challenge those same belts with fried rings of dough. 

““I think we’ve found our donut shop.” ”

Still a little nervous because the ordering process at any donut shop is intense, we make our selection at the counter and take a seat at a table. I don’t even remember what we ordered, but I remember my anxiety about this new place melting away as the glaze melted on my fingers. Turning to Joel and smiling, I happily proclaimed,  “I think we’ve found our donut shop.” 

***

“We spend mornings at John’s to celebrate birthdays, hard days, Fridays, and a multitude of days in between.”

John’s Donuts has seen me at every stage of competency in my adult life, the late-night donut runs in our pre-kid years just the beginning. I was there more than I’d like to admit through each of my pregnancies, staring into the glass case filled with fried dough as round as my belly. We spend mornings at John’s to celebrate birthdays, hard days, Fridays, and a multitude of days in between. On the day my daughter turned two, I asked her how old she was. Her reply was an immediate and enthusiastic “DONUT!” She gets it. 

My choices are always the same: one glazed and one apple fritter. The glazed donuts at John’s are the perfect balance of doughy, sweet, and crisp on the outside. It is more than just a torus of bread covered in icing (Are you impressed with my use of the word torus? I Googled it.). I’ve never had a glazed donut that I love as much as that one, and I’ve had a lot of glazed donuts. The apple fritter is glorious. Does that sound dramatic? Good. Fritters at John’s are knobby, crisp, and delightfully free of giant apple chunks. I do not enjoy pastries with large pieces of fruit. If I wanted giant chunks of apple, I would eat an apple, not a donut. 

“It is a place for people. Seated in one of those yellow booths with my two loud and sprinkle-covered children, I feel a sense of community. ”

The thing with John’s isn’t just that the donuts are delicious, though. It is a place for people. Seated in one of those yellow booths with my two loud and sprinkle-covered children, I feel a sense of community. People of all walks of life come through John’s. As a stay-at-home mom, it is refreshing to see and remember that there is a world outside of my small world raising children. On any given morning,  John’s is filled with a diverse range of ages, cultures, professions, and donut orders. We are all so different, yet we all love this place. I’m not going to explicitly say that donuts are the solution to these trying, divisive times, but I will suggest that they’re not a bad place to start. 

John’s is a place that feels like home.

John’s is a place that feels like home. I’m not a regular per se and they don’t know my name, but I know the drill. I walk in prepared with my order and cash in my pocket if I’m planning on ordering less than $5 worth of donuts. I rarely order less than $5 worth of donuts, but included this as a subtle reminder to you, friend: bring cash if you’re spending less than $5. 

I won’t suggest that John’s Donuts is the St. Louis version of the Statue of Liberty because I think the Arch would claim that title, but I am saying it serves a similar purpose. Bring your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. John’s lifts their donut beside the golden door. And I’m here for it. 

“ Bring your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. John’s lifts their donut beside the golden door. And I’m here for it.”