Mister Donut in the USA
If you’ve traveled to Japan, you’ve probably spotted a Mister Donut shop, or even been seduced by their super cute commercials. They’re a traditional doughnut shop with some fusiony Japanese offerings, like matcha flavoring, and my boyfriend is obsessed with their cake doughnuts!
Above, Mister Donut in Japan, from our trip last year. (Planning a trip to Japan? Click here to see all of my Japan content). And yes, they’re somehow selling doughnuts to women by literally adding a cronut to the model’s waistline.
While the goofy name seems tailor-made for Japan, the chain was actually founded in the U.S. in 1955, expanding throughout the country, then into Japan in the 1980s. When Dunkin’ Donuts’ parent company acquired the U.S. arm of Mister Donut in 1990, most franchisees chose to change their name to Dunkin’ Donuts, and nowadays there’s only one Mister Donut left in the states.
Looking for some Japanese nostalgia, we made a pilgrimage to the lone Mister Donut holdout, in the small town of Godfrey, Illinois:
We picked out a selection of the cake doughnuts–cherry and regular glazed, along with plain–and holy cow is that sugar glaze intense! Clearly they don’t share their Japanese counterparts’ preference for more moderately sweet baked goods.
Don’t despair though, the plain cake doughnut was good, and our companion said his sprinkle doughnut wasn’t nearly as sweet.
Beyond the branding, you won’t find much in common with the Japanese shops, but if you’re passing through Godfrey, Illinois, this cute vintage shop is worth the stop– if only for the bragging rights of having visited the only Mister Donut in the U.S.
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Wow! Amazing to see that one survived, I remember their donuts on a stick fondly from my childhood.
There used to be a Mister Donut in the little shop that is on the corner across from my house. It’s been a bunch of things in the nearly 20 years since then — burger joint, cheese shop/deli, pizza place … probably others I’m forgetting — but to me, it will always be the Mister Donut.
I grew near a Mister Donut. They made them out back starting at midnight. They were always fresh and tasty. They also sold pastries. The only coffee they served was regular and decaf. Now at donut shop they have them shipped in frozen. People dont know what they are missing by eating a fresh donut.
I live in Godfrey. We LOVE Mister Donut and a local convenience store has them delivered there daily, too. Our favorites are the sugar raised and the donut holes!
Mister Donut also has the best coffee in town. Forget Starbucks and Tom Horton’s.
There’s one in St. Louis
I’m wrong it’s a Dunkin’ Donut.
I have an unopened 160z. can of Mister Donut Coffee, if anyone is interested…