[EXCLUSIVE] Voodoo Doughnut Looks to Enter Suddenly Crowded Atlanta Donut Market

June 6 was National Doughnut Day and with it comes news that Voodoo Doughnut has its eye on a metro Atlanta expansion.  The popular doughnut shop was founded more than twenty years ago in Portland, Oregon, but has in the years since expanded to a chain of 23 locations with at least two more coming soon, according to its website.

Voodoo Doughnut was founded in May 2003 by Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson and Richard "Tres" Shannon, who opened the first shop on Southwest Third Avenue in Old Town Portland.  The company logo was designed to include a depiction of Baron Samedi, a figure from Haitian Vodou.  Until 2006, the business was only open at night, and for a time, select Oregon shops were open 24 hours a day, but today all shops are open all day, with some open as late as 3 AM.  

The chain's national expansion, fueled by a majority investment by San Francisco private equity firm Fundamental Capital in 2017, has brought Voodoo to Denver, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, and Los Angeles, among other cities.  The company also has licensed locations at both Denver International Airport (DIA) and Nashville International Airport (BNA), as well as at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal CityWalk in Hollywood, California.  

We visited the company's original Portland shop in 2009 and waited in an extensive line to get into the shop to order.  The doughnuts were good, but not 30+ minute line wait good, in our opinion.  

The shop features a variety of classic and inventive doughnut flavors that include the Voodoo Doll (raspberry-filled, chocolate-frosted, and poked with a pretzel stake through its heart), The Homer (raised ring with strawberry frosting and round sprinkles), Old Dirty Bastard (a yeast raised doughnut with chocolate frosting, Oreo cookie crumbles, and peanut butter drizzle), Oh Captain, My Captain (raised ring with vanilla frosting and Cap’n Crunch), Maple Blazer Blunt (raised blunt shape dusted with cinnamon sugar, maple frosting, and red sprinkle embers), Marshall Mathers (lose yourself in every bite of this classic cake doughnut dipped in sweet voonilla and stacked with colorful candy-coated chocolates) and Cock N' Balls (raised yeast doughnut with Bavarian Cream filling and chocolate frosting).  The shop offers several vegan options, too.  

Voodoo has been featured in a variety of media over the years including Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and even a 2019 episode of The Simpsons: "Marge the Lumberjill."

In addition to doughnuts, the company offers select retail items, including a coffee mug with one of their notable phrases: "The Magic is in the Hole."  

The company has hired local brokerage Council Real Estate to find locations in metro Atlanta, but it's unlikely that anything will happen immediately, as the firm has only just begun their efforts locally.  

ToNeTo Atlanta assessed the Voodoo Doughnut website for inspiration as to the sites they have taken in other cities to inform where they might land in metro Atlanta.   In other markets, Voodoo occupies a former Radio Shack, dry cleaner, Chase Bank, vintage Arby's, and one of their newest, on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, occupies a former Chipotle, which closed last year. 

In metro Atlanta, Voodoo would join established local doughnut purveyors such as Sublime Doughnuts, Sarah Donuts, Revolution Doughnuts, and Da Vinci's as well as mega chain operators such as Dunkin' and Krispy Kreme.  Growing regional brands such as The Salty, Tim Hortons, HERO, and Shipley Do-Nuts have also entered the market with California chain Randy's Donuts opening soon at Lenox Square and local upstart Doughnuts+Fries having just opened this week in Chastain Park.  

Have you had a Voodoo Doughnut?  Do you think Voodoo offers a superior doughnut to other doughnut makers?  Where in metro Atlanta would you most like to see Voodoo open?

Please share your thoughts below.