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Daily Dozen Doughnut Company is a doughnut shop at Seattle's Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington. Operated by Barbara Elza since c. 1989, the stall in the Economy Market features a "Donut Robot", and is widely known for its hot, freshly made miniature doughnuts that are served in a paper bag. Daily Dozen has garnered a generally positive reception and has been included in several overviews of Seattle's best doughnuts.

Description
Daily Dozen serves small doughnuts from a stall in the Economy Market building at Pike Place Market in Seattle's Central Waterfront district. Varieties have included plain, cinnamon, sugar, maple bacon, and chocolate with sprinkles, as well as seasonal specials. The doughnuts are typically doughnut holes, about the size of ping-pong balls, sold warm. Fodor's says Daily Dozen offers "adorable, made-while-you-watch minidoughnuts dusted in powdered sugar". The business' slogan is "Be a winner, have doughnuts for dinner".

An automated Belshaw Brothers Mark II machine invented in the 1930s called the "Donut Robot" creates doughnuts in rows of four. Described by the Chicago Tribune as a "mesmerizing contraption that plops rings of batter into oil", it sends the batter "down the oil river like the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland", and eventually flips the doughnuts "golden and bulbous onto cooling racks." Store staff will mix the donuts and their toppings together on the spot, shaking them in paper bags, and often tossing them in the air and catching them for added showmanship. Tourists often point their cameras through the glass, and children can sometimes be seen crowding around the stall to watch.

History
Daily Dozen is owned by Barbara Elza, who has operated the shop since c. 1989. Previously, the business was owned by Todd Collins.

In 1997, the shop was processing 16 kilograms (approximately 35 pounds) of flour daily. In 2007, Gemma Alexander of ParentMap said the shop sold 40,000 doughnuts in a single day. The Irish Examiner has said the business sells approximately 20,000 doughnuts per day on average.



In June 2009, Elza put up a rainbow flag behind the Daily Dozen counter for Pride Month, and received a call from her landlord a week later, asking her to take it down. The dispute was soon covered by The Stranger, and the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) was flooded with angry phone calls. Elza presented her case to the PDA and the Pike Place Market Historical Commission, and was given permission to display the flag each year in June. However, in July 2012, she decided to leave the flag up indefinitely, triggering further discussions with the authority.

In April 2012, the shop applied to expand into an adjacent space, formerly rented by a dried-fruit company. The shop owners aimed to expand the business into selling quick breads, hand-held potpies, cider, and coffee. In July 2012, the The Seattle Times noted that Daily Dozen did more than half of its business with locals rather than tourists.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the business received Paycheck Protection Program funding from the Small Business Administration, retaining seven employees. In 2022, to commemorate Pike Place Market's 115th anniversary, the business gave free doughnuts and beverages to the first 115 guests on August 17.

Reception
In 2006, Seattle Weekly selected Daily Dozen for the "best place to pack on the pounds at a moment's notice" and said: "The hot, freshly made little gems are so deceptively nonthreatening and bite-sized that you tend to eat them like popcorn, which, in the ugly real world, can be the cause of a disturbing revelation when you look down into your paper bag and realize you've mowed your way through 12 doughnuts without so much as a burp. Powdered, chocolate-iced, sprinkled, or—our favorite—plain and golden, the goodies are a steal at a couple of bucks per dozen. But don't say we didn't warn you."

Hsiao-Ching Chou of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer included Daily Dozen in a 2006 overview of "can't miss bites" and recommended, "Make sure to bring a friend or you might consume the whole bag." The newspaper's Lynsi Burton included Daily Dozen in a 2016 overview of the city's best doughnuts. Stuart Eskenazi of The Seattle Times included Daily Dozen in a 2007 overview of "favorites for kids" at Pike Place Market. In 2008, Bon Appétit Diane Chang wrote, "Enter Pike Place Market and you'll instantly be hit with the mouthwatering aroma of freshly fried batter... Their recipe hasn't changed for almost 20 years—nor have their lines gotten any shorter."

Jess Thomson's book Pike Place Market Recipes (2012) says Daily Dozen makes doughnuts "to the pure thrill of kids and adults alike". In 2013, KOMO-TV's Lindsay Cohen described the shop as "a Pike Place Market mainstay for nearly 30 years". In The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin (2014), Michael Krondl said Daily Dozen "serves the freshest donuts you may ever buy", but also decided that they were "a little overhyped...after eating a half dozen of the plain and three or four of the bacon-topped variety".



In her book Food Lovers' Guide to Seattle (2015), American food writer Laurie Wolf wrote, "A doughnut shop that has been around for over 20 years and still has a line almost all day long, the charm of this place is in its simplicity: fresh, hot mini doughnuts, served in a brown paper bag, heating the roof of your mouth on a chilly day, the aroma taunting you as you wait in line." In 100 Things to Do in Seattle Before You Die (2015), Athima Chansanchai said the doughnuts are "fun-sized, so go crazy with at least a half dozen" and recommended, "Better yet, make it a dozen, because when they're made in front of you, self-deprivation loses. And, they're cheap!"

Thrillist says, "Perfectly fried-up and crispy, the mini donuts at Daily Dozen are a famous staple of Pike Place Market and ensure you'll be anything but mini after you've made them part of your morning routine." The 2016–17 edition of Japanese guidebook Amerika Nishi-kaigan (West Coast U.S.A.) recommended the "famous" Daily Dozen Doughnuts as a "must", describing them as old-fashioned and simple. Ed Levine of Serious Eats notes that the fact that the mini doughnuts are "actually plucked from the Donut Robot II conveyer belt" may mean they have "a little more oil, but we won't complain". In Eater 2019 overview of "the greateplaces to eat in Seattle's greatest tourist trap", Lesley Balla said, "Sharing a brown paper bag of sprinkle-topped or powdered sugar doughnuts with someone is cool, especially if the doughnuts are hot."

In 2012, the business inspired entrepreneurs to open Beavers Coffee + Donuts, a food truck in Chicago, Illinois. The food truck also makes use of a "doughnut robot" machine to cook the doughnuts.

Lists


Daily Dozen was not listed in Andrew Knowlton's 2010 overview of "America's best donuts" for Bon Appétit, but was subsequently included in his follow-up list of reader recommendations.

Kristin Hunt included the business in Thrillist's 2015 list of the best doughnut shops in each U.S. state. Daily Dozen was included in Thrillist's 2016 list of Seattle's best doughnut shops. The website said doughnuts are "served almost immediately, still hot and deliciously greasy" and "are so good you'll want at least... wait for it... a dozen!" Naomi Tomky also included the business in Thrillist's 2016 list of the 50 "best things to eat and drink" at Pike Place Market.

Daily Dozen topped KSTW's 2018 list of Seattle's top five doughnut shops. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Eater Seattle included Daily Dozen in a list of "where to get some delightful doughnuts for takeout in the Seattle area". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer included the doughnuts in a 2021 list of 26 "iconic Seattle bites". Eater Seattle Mark Van Streefkerk included Daily Dozen in a 2022 list of "delightful" doughnuts in the Seattle metropolitan area.