| Daylight Donut Flour Company, LLC | |
| Trade Name: | Daylight Donuts |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Foundation: | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Location City: | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Location Country: | U.S. |
| Industry: | Food and beverage |
| Genre: | Doughnut shop |
| Founder: | Tommy and Lucille Day |
| Locations: | 950 (2021) |
Daylight Donut Flour Company, LLC, doing business as Daylight Donuts, is a privately owned and operated American chain of doughnut shops, founded in 1954 and headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1] The chain has approximately 950 locations in 13 countries.[1] [2] Each Daylight Donuts store is independently owned and operated.
The origins of Daylight Donuts can be traced back to Tommy and Lucille Day in 1954. The couple opened a small business in Tulsa, Oklahoma and began producing doughnut mix in the mornings and selling them to shops in the afternoon, mostly out of the trunk of their car.[1] The couple created a new doughnut mixture that they believed was more flavorful and had a lighter consistency than many other doughnuts on the market.[1] The couple decided to call this business, "Daylight Donuts Flour Co."[1] Mr. Day, having previously worked in the baking industry, helped a friend, Mr. Durard Pendergraft open a small doughnut shop in Joplin, Missouri on September 22, 1954.[1] The store initially sold doughnuts for 37 cents per dozen.[1]
By 1960, the company had grown enough that the Days were able to hire two new employees and also built a 20,000 square foot facility for additional space.[3] In 1977, the Days retired and sold the company to Jerry and Linda Hull.[3] By this time, there were more than 200 Daylight Donuts stores in operation. Also during this time, the company began using its own fleet of trucks.[3] In 2002, John and Sheila Bond purchased the company. The new owners expanded the production facility into a 65,000 square foot manufacturing facility. They also increased the products that were offered by the company.[3] In 2003, the company started its own private label coffee and began selling it to shop owners.[4]
The original Daylight Donuts location (2124 S. Main Street) was destroyed in the 2011 Joplin tornado and has since relocated to 2316 S. Main Street.[1] As of 2016, Daylight Donuts operates 430 licensed locations where Daylight Donuts are made and over 1,000 locations worldwide where they are sold.[1] Additionally, Daylight Donut Flour Company, LLC produces 230,000 pounds of doughnut mix per week, enough mix for 2.5 million doughnuts weekly.[1] Throughout its entire history, each Daylight Donuts store has been independently owned and operated.