Daylight Donuts: Enjoyed around the world
May 6, 2023
Daylight Donuts, is an American chain of privately owned doughnut shops. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the chain has 341 store locations in the United States and a total of 950 locations in 13 countries. Each Daylight Donuts store is independently owned and operated.
In 1954, Tommy and Lucille Day opened a small business at 2124 S. Main Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma and began producing a doughnut mix which they sold, mostly, out of the trunk of their car. They believed their doughnut mixture was lighter and more flavorful than many other doughnuts on the market.
The couple decided to call the business, Daylight Donuts Flour Co.
By 1960, the company had grown so much that the Days could hire two new employees. In that same year, they built a 20,000-square-foot facility that allowed them to produce more doughnuts.
By 1977, there were more than 200 Daylight Donuts stores in operation and, after 23 years in the business, the Days retired and sold the company to Jerry and Linda Hull. Also during this time, the company began using its own fleet of trucks.
In 2002, John and Sheila Bond purchased the company and expanded the production facility to 65,000 square feet allowing them to increase their product line.
In 2003, the company started its own private-label coffee and began selling it to shop owners.
The original Daylight Donuts location (2124 S. Main Street) was destroyed in the 2011 Joplin tornado and has since been relocated to 2316 S. Main Street.
Today, Daylight Donuts operates about 430 licensed locations where Daylight Donuts are made and over 1,000 locations worldwide where they are sold.
Daylight Donut Flour Company, LLC, produces 230,000 pounds of doughnut mix per week, enough mix to make 2.5 million doughnuts weekly.
Each Daylight Donuts store has been independently owned and operated throughout its history.
Gloria Sauvé
Communications