Happy Daze Donuts & Pastries

I bought 2 donuts yesterday (Monday) and they were both stale. I wonder how many days ago they were made.

These friggin doughnuts are good. A dollar for a doughnut (which is a really cheap price in the 21^st century) you would think they wouldn’t taste that great, but they are amazing. It’s like Krispy Kreme without the expensive label. They are good.

I hate people who do this, so I guess I’ll take the hypocrisy because *ugh* for the area, Happy Daze gets the ol’ «Yay! I’m a fan.» That said, overall and with respect to other spots I tried on my recent trip back to North Carolina I have to set an «A-​OK».
The Space
Back behind a strip of businesses and nearly next to the Ingles in Franklin, Happy Daze was an unexpected discovery. We were mainly looking for a place to escape the rain and thought «coffee sounds nice» before walking toward this place. When seeking shelter you want the place you find to be warm and clean. I’m not sure if it was just because the holidays were setting in or what, but the place felt very cluttered and unkept. The display cases were clean, though, and it was plenty big to serve a large crowd but on this wet afternoon we ran into only one other family stopping by.
From the miscellaneous stuff on some tables to the shuffled items behind the counter, the atmosphere was off for a sweet, local sugar shop. Bathrooms are also not spectacular, and the mens had an «Out of order» sign and no paper towels.
The Service
For as much as walking in might have been offputing, the man working was very kind if a little luke warm. You could say it was the timing and lack of patrons, but still… I was a brand new customer and there was very little excitement about trying something because the energy seemed missing. I asked something like «anything specific I should try or do I get an Apple Fritter?» and the response was like «…Apple Fritters are good…»
We did order coffee and he did not hesitate to start making a fresh pot then and there. He also brought out our cups to us when they were ready which I appreciated a bunch.
The Food
For all the above, he was right: the Apple Fritter was pretty good. Definitely not fresh but I am willing to pass that because it was a) ample and b) tasty. Fingers crossed they work to produce fresh-​daily items when they are in regular business hours. The fritter had chunks of real apple I could actually see and chew, and it was not overly greasy or caked in icing. I didn’t bother to heat it up but warm/​fresh that sucker would’ve been unbelievable.
Final Thoughts
Fair is fair: for a local business to truly grow a place in the heart of its community, the food, service, and atmosphere all need to rise above cold, sad chains. The food clearly beats comparable offerings from Corporate & Co.‘s drive-​thru, but the service and feel need some TLC. If ever I’m back at the cabin I stayed at I’ll give these guys another go for sure and hope to see they’ve earned back the star not present right now.

After moving here from out of state and trying to find a decent donut store without having to drive to Asheville, I have to say that this will do for me. I bought a box of assorted dozen this am and sit down and tried them, the cake donuts are lighter than the Dunkin Donut ones, but the glazed are not as light as a Krispy Kreme, All in all for a local owned store the donuts were okay

Wonderful little donut shop. Family owned and operated. Everything homemade. It’s not unusual to find a very old recipe in use at their shop.

5 stars for the sticky bun. Nothing else deserved more than 1 or 2 stars.
First of all, I expect a highly rated donut place to make their donuts fresh daily. It was clear that the donuts I tried on a Saturday morning at 9 AM had not been made that day. They were dry and stale. So disappointing! I love a locally owned donut shop, but this was not good.
I’ll start with the positive. The STICKY BUN was really well done. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t fresh either, but it didn’t matter. The dough layers were the perfect thickness. Not too thick and bready making it dry, and not too thin, making it soggy. These were just right. The sticky sauce seemed like a homemade caramel, one made with honey and brown sugar. It had a delicious flavor and was nicely balanced with crispy edges, sticky parts and gooey center. This is the only thing I would ever come back for.
Now on to the bad… The PLAIN GLAZED DONUTs were dry and flavorless. Even microwaving for a few seconds didn’t make them edible. The BLUEBERRY CAKE DONUT was probably good when it was fresh, but it wasn’t fresh. It was extremely hard and dry. It did have a nice blueberry flavor. The PISTACHIO CREAM FILLED was ok, but had no discernible pistachio flavor. At least the cream filling kept it from tasting too dry.
The PEANUT BUTTER CREAM FILLED WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING was a hit with my husband. Thanks to the other patron in the store who recommended it.
The store itself had no ambience at all. It was almost a bit creepy with half of the lights turned off. I had no inclination to sit and enjoy one while there.

We really enjoyed our doughnuts! Assuming the two individuals in the store were the owners, they were very pleasant and helpful as we made our selections. We didn’t order any coffee from there as we could not see any coffee equipment, but wish we could have.
Prices were very inexpensive for the quality received. When back in Franklin, we will shop there again!

Wow. Hands down the best homemade donuts I’ve had since Sugartown closed down over a decade ago. I’ve been three times in the past two weeks (which is a testament to the deliciousness). I hope they stay around for a long while. Everything tastes fresh, The Blueberrys are rich and tasty and the Standard Chocolate Donuts are able to go head to head with Ingles or any chain donut. The cream filled ones are rich and tasty. Lastly the fritters. Dude I cannot rave enough about a place when you have big hearty chunks of apples in your fritter. That’s how it should be done always. No flavored crap, I’m talking big apple chunks that are delectable.
Rich and Flavorful donuts make me happy, and this place I hope is a mainstay in the Franklin Breakfast scene for years to come.