Not one, not two, but three times Munster Donut closed in 2016 year; once due to water damage, another time because of a car accident and again because of underground pipe removal and replacement. Each time was met with a flurry of concern from the local community.
“Do people not know this is a NWI landmark of baked deliciousness?” Leticia Lacey Lopez commented on Facebook after the second car crash. “#savethedonuts START A GO FUND ME!!!!!!!!!” Marc Anthony Selio added. “There goes my breakfast,” Mimi Bianchi piped in.
Each time the small shop got itself back together to continue serving its loyal customers.
“It’s a greasy treat, something that’s really popular in America,” said Amanda Watts, a clerk at Munster Donut. “It’s just a thing from their childhood; it’s just how they’re raised.”
Any time of the year, the Region’s plethora of bakeries and doughnut shops can see a consistent flow of customers, according to Jean Thiele, owner of Branya’s Bakery in St. John.
“We’re really blue collar around here,” she said. “I have a lot of sales reps that come in and still take out between 40 and 50 dozen out to the steel mills.”
Times digital producer Kale Wilk stopped in at different shops in the Region to inquire what their most popular items are.