Though Champaign-Urbana has changed over the years, one thing has remained constant: the warm, sugary embrace of a treat from Ye Olde Donut Shoppe.
Since its founding in 1956, Ye Olde Donut Shoppe has remained a staple for C-U residents looking for a sweet treat to start their day.
Current shop and sales manager Robert Cooper grew up in Urbana and recalled the establishment’s role in his early adolescence. Cooper detailed how the shop provided him with a positive environment when he was younger.
“I also have memories of my dad taking me there on Sundays when I was a little kid, which was weird because I’m sure that the customers that I thought were old men are probably younger than I am now,” Cooper said.
Despite his fond memories of Ye Olde Donut Shoppe, Cooper wanted to leave Urbana as a young adult. However, he found himself stuck in a high-stress job, ready to revert to a quieter lifestyle.
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When he returned to Urbana as an adult, he heard that the shop was still open and pursued employment.
“I’ve had a lot of higher stress in my career before this, and so when I moved back to town, I wanted a simpler life and less stress and just something easy, and this definitely fits the bill,” Cooper said.
During its 68 years of business, Ye Olde Donut Shoppe has gone through several transformations.
According to Cooper, the current baker manager bought the business in the 1990s and then sold it to the current owner, Eric Seeds, in 2001. Shortly after, from the early 2000s to 2018, there was no physical store, but the business continued through sales to retail stores and direct delivery to customers.
The current location of Ye Olde Donut Shoppe at 1401 S. Neil St. was opened in 2019 and has continued the business’ legacy.
“I like the history of things, and I like things that stay around; I’m not a big fan of changes,” Cooper said.
Despite its geographic moves, Ye Olde Donut Shoppe has accumulated fans in C-U. The community is one of Cooper’s favorite aspects of the business.
“I don’t have children, so it’s fun seeing people with the kids get all excited about doughnuts,” Cooper said.
The regular customers of Ye Olde Donut Shoppe hold a special place in Cooper’s heart.
“We do have a lot of regulars,” Cooper said. “When I come in at 5:30 (a.m.), I’ll put things aside for certain customers even though they’ve officially never said, ‘I’m going to be here at the same time every day and get the same thing.’ But they do; they come in at the same time every day, and I grab their bag when they get here, and I think they appreciate that.”
Cooper also enjoys it when customers tell him stories about their own experiences and memories with the business. He believes the nostalgia of the shop is one of the factors that contributes to the draw of the doughnuts.
“When they have the doughnut, and it’s made by the same guy that made it for them like 25 years ago, and it tastes exactly the same, that’s kind of satisfying,” Cooper said.
In addition to its rich history, Ye Olde Donut Shoppe’s unique menu contributes to its success. The shop offers various doughnuts, from original cake and yeast-raised options to the classic old-fashioned.
Standard selections include unfilled long johns and ring doughnuts with icing or sprinkles, while artisan choices include apple fritters and pretzel-shaped doughnuts. For something extra special, the shop also offers a giant doughnut — a 13-inch treat that serves about eight people and is an alternative to a traditional birthday cake.
Beyond Ye Olde Donut Shoppe’s staple flavors, it keeps things fresh with rotating daily cake doughnut flavors and seasonal specials, like last year’s mojito doughnut.
“It is mostly following the trends and seeing what people are doing in the food industry, not necessarily doughnuts, and then sort of carrying that over into the doughnut world,” Cooper said.
But keeping up with demand presents challenges. Ye Olde Donut Shoppe sells out most frequently on weekends, with Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays being the busiest days.
“The biggest challenge is for us to know … the right amount of doughnuts,” Cooper said. “I do like selling out on Sunday if we sell out at 11 (a.m.) or 12 (p.m.) because we don’t have a charity to pick up or drop off the doughnuts to on Sunday.”
Predicting the right amount of doughnuts each day isn’t always easy. Leftover doughnuts — except on Sundays — are donated to local organizations like Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, Jubilee Cafe and Strides Shelter.
Despite this challenge, Ye Olde Donut Shoppe stays competitive by sticking to its roots. Every doughnut is handmade and uses real ingredients like maple and fudge rather than artificial substitutes.
“That is why I think our doughnuts are popular,” Cooper said. “Because people do taste the difference.”
As more specialty doughnut shops pop up, Ye Olde Donut Shoppe remains confident in its commitment to tradition.
“Now, there are cronuts and Industrial Donut,” Cooper said. “I think it’s great, but not everybody wants a doughnut that has 500 M&Ms on it, although that sounds pretty good. Our niche is that we are just the more traditional doughnuts that remind you of when you were a kid.”
Despite the growing competition, the shop’s long history and strong ties to the community, particularly the University, help Ye Olde Donut Shoppe maintain a loyal customer base.
“I like to believe that there is room for everybody and everybody serves a purpose,” Cooper said. “I am sure that it is (the University) that has kept us in business all these years … (The University) has definitely been very kind to us, so we try to return the favor any way we can.”
With decades of tradition, handcrafted recipes and a commitment to quality, Ye Olde Donut Shoppe continues to be a beloved part of the C-U community, one doughnut at a time.
