Our third round in the Donut Wars took us to Daylight Donuts on the busy northwest corner of 116th Street and Olio Road. Daylight fights in the super heavyweight division with few takers willing to compare to their 13-donut “monster donut”.
Owner Bradd Morse spent 18 years in the retail supplement and vitamins business, deciding to cross over to the other side 3 years ago and open the second Daylight Donuts in the central Indiana area.
“I love a business where everyone comes in happy,” Morse said talking about his new life in the donut world. “The first time one of our employees came back and said someone wanted to speak with the manager, I was worried that a complaint was headed my way. Fortunately, they just wanted to thank me for the delicious donuts. I wasn’t used to that.”
During our visit, Sam Lukomski stopped by with his mom and sister kicking off his 8th birthday with his favorite local donuts. Following behind them was Chris Collins with his daughters Ruby and Charlotte making a pit stop on their way to camp. Chris gives Daylight his vote, saying “the thing that sets this place apart is their freshness.”
Jensen Lewis was enjoying a long john with her family as they talked about an upcoming vacation to Florida in July. Ah, the happier mood and times enjoyed at a donut shop.
Working behind the counter, Morse has enlisted his two sons in the family business. Oldest son Max, at least one head taller than his dad, was busy taking orders and keeping the shelves stocked all morning. Seventh grader Alex works occasionally helping dad with paperwork and organizing receipts. If you didn’t know it, you’d swear the rest of the staff was family as well given the friendly smiles and occasional joking around with regulars.
As for the taste and quality of the donuts, our judges definitely noticed a difference from the previous two rounds. Morse touted the potato flour as giving them an advantage over other donut shops. Simply put, “it just has better flavor” according to him.
Daylight Donuts is open seven days a week from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., except on Sundays when they close at 6:00 p.m. For more information or to place advance orders, visit www.daylightdonutsfishers.com.
Next week, we come down off our Geist Blast on the Bridge high with a visit to Jack’s Donuts in Saxony on Friday, July 5. Our judges have gone three rounds so far keeping their scorecards to themselves. The Geist Jewelers Donut Cup is at stake, so we’ll lay everything on the line next Friday in our final round of the Donut Wars. Come out at 8:00 a.m. and say hello and show your support of the area’s newest donut stop.
Meet Bradd Morse
Go behind the counter with Neal Moore
Raving fans speak up
Parting shot, next up: Jack’s Donuts
