Overview
Melbourne sugar fiends can finally prepare their tastebuds for the second coming of one of Australia's biggest doughnut chains. Since closing down its 30 stores last year during the well-documented collapse of then-owner Damien Griffith's hospitality empire, Doughnut Time has returned to Brisbane under new owners and managers. And it's finally heading for you, too, Melbourne.
The brand made its comeback just before Christmas 2018 with the opening of four new Queensland stores — two in Brisbane and two on the Gold Coast. Now, the three Melbourne stores we were promised are finally taking shape. The Degraves Street and Hawthorn outposts opened in May and June, respectively. A third shop is planned to open in Fitzroy soon, bringing the brand to six stores all up. More are expected to open throughout the year, too, though none have been announced for Sydney as of yet.
Doughnut Time's original Surry Hills store.
With the chain now overseen by Queensland entrepreneur Peter Andros, Doughnut Time is eager to put the brand's past behind it — a situation that not only saw its previous stores shuttered without warning, but left many of its staff unpaid. "We think what happened to past employees is unacceptable," the company wrote on Facebook.
Fans should expect a dose of the old and the new with this fresh batch of stores. The former includes the Love At First Bite (filled with Nutella and dusted with cinnamon sugar) and It's Always A Gaytime (a milk chocolate glazed doughy filled with honeycomb custard, topped with crushed biscuits and caramelised crepes). The brand has also promised a new focus on vegan, gluten free, high protein, low sugar and keto options. At the moment, the vegan Liam Hemsworthy sounds especially tasty — a red velvet doughnut frosted with cookies and cream, crushed chocolate ripple biscuits and a chocolate glaze drizzle.
Doughnut Time is now open at 5 Degraves Street, Melbourne and 648 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn. A third shop is set to open at 378 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy soon.
Updated: July 17, 2019.