FROM CLASSIC glazed doughnuts to ones frosted and topped off with rainbow sprinkles, doughnuts have been around for decades. While there was steady popularity for doughnut  consumption at franchises such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme, these baked goods only started trending in Korea recently. Doughnuts have taken on a creative twist delivering exotic, unique tastes and eye-catching visuals to satisfy consumers’ demands.  

Trending doughnuts

   So how did doughnuts become a national craze? Initially, people in the early 2010s sought ways to maintain a balanced, healthy diet, causing an increase in demand for sugar-free or protein-packed dessert alternatives to satisfy their sweet tooth[1]. With fresh food products in high demand, doughnuts, on the other hand, did not appeal to consumers. However, doughnuts started to regain popularity, especially among the MZ generation[2] with their appealing aesthetics. For example, Randy’s Donuts is advertised as “Iron Man doughnuts” after Tony Stark ate their doughnut in a scene from the blockbuster film, Iron Man 2. As the younger generation is constantly on their social media, they regard these places as “insta-worthy.” By using hashtags such as #foodaesthetic and #mat-jib—a term for delicious restaurants—underneath their photos of doughnuts, people are easily able to discover new doughnut stores. Ultimately, people’s active engagement in social media platforms has helped them gain wider public attention. 

   To bring something different to the table, new doughnut shops such as Knotted made sure to listen to consumers’ demands and anticipate their needs. Stores like Knotted have diversified their doughnut flavors by offering earl grey, mint chocolate, and ang-butter[3] doughnuts, appealing to curious customers. On top of unique flavors, doughnut shops are using delivery services to reach consumers all over Korea. During times of social distancing, people can still enjoy doughnuts at home using convenient delivery services. In an interview with Hankook Ilbo, an industry source mentioned, “[Doughnuts are] the optimal dessert menu fit for the ‘home café culture’ that has recently become common as they can be stored for a long time if put in the freezer[4]”. With all these different factors, new brands have successfully paved the way for the doughnut industry and heightened people’s interest. 

Going creative  

   As doughnuts become more popular, doughnut shops have to up the ante and go the extra mile to satisfy consumer tastes. Bontemps, in particular, managed to take plain twisted doughnuts—also known as kkwa-bae-gi—that are usually sold at Korean street markets and turned them into gourmet delicacies. Their doughnuts are made with fresh, quality ingredients and presented in an enjoyable fashion as various toppings are carefully placed on each doughnut. In an interview with The Yonsei Annals, Lee Sang-hun, the owner of Bontemps claimed, “I wanted to change people’s view on regular kkwa-bae-gi and show that they have endless flavor combinations.” Lee decided it was time to offer people new flavors such as tiramisu or garlic bread-flavored kkwa-bae-gi. 

   To distinguish Bontemps from other competing doughnut stores, Lee stated, “Our dough barely uses any yeast, and instead it is put through a natural fermentation process to obtain that extra chewiness.” On top of the delicious goods they offer, Bontemps is also known for its unique interior design and concept to attract new customers. Lee claimed, “I used to collect different kinds of lights, chairs, and tables since I was young, so I decided to bring my unique style into decorating the store. Also, since doughnuts remind us of heart-warming childhood memories, we drew colorful characters on our posters and doughnut boxes for people to relive the moments when they were young.” 

   Alongside Bontemps, Beebeede is also a rising hot place among doughnut enthusiasts. They are known for their cronuts—doughnut-shaped pastries made with croissant dough. Having worked at a croissant bakery, the owner of Beebeede was naturally interested in experimenting with cronuts. In an interview with the Annals, the owner explained it was difficult at first to come up with a recipe that would satisfy the palates of Koreans. Cronuts have become popular in the United States in recent years, and are known to be greasier than a regular doughnut. The owner claimed that they worked hard to suit Koreans’ taste “by coming up with a recipe where the cronuts are chewier, less sugary and oily.” Fortunately, Beebeede’s cronuts have gained wide recognition, opening up branches at Hyundai and Lotte Department Stores. The owner of Beebeede claimed they could see that their doughnuts are trending, “especially when they come across many people on social media trying to imitate the flavor of their cronuts.” 

Not a fad

   While most trends come and go rather quickly, the buzz around doughnuts has been increasing for the past two years. It is still common to see people standing in long queues outside famous doughnut places. To meet the expectations of doughnut lovers, more doughnut branches have opened. Knotted, due to its great success, has opened more than ten branches across the country. It is also collaborating with other major brands including Olive Young, Innisfree, and Market Kurly, hinting at the franchise’s longevity. 

   Existing doughnut franchises have stepped up their game to reap the benefits of the ongoing trend. For example, on Aug. 20, 2021, Dunkin’ Donuts opened a flagship store, “Dunkin’ Live” near Gangnam station. Unlike their other stores, “Dunkin’ Live” has a separate station that shows customers how their doughnuts are made fresh throughout the day. Some of its doughnut flavors are also only available at that location, such as the egg-benedict, green onion cream cheese, and crème brulèe doughnuts. With notable eagerness to jump on the bandwagon, a Dunkin’ Donuts official claimed, “Dunkin’ Live is designed to satisfy our customers, and the high quality of our doughnuts will make it even more special and different from others[5]”.

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   As doughnut businesses are seeing a rise in profits, they are continuously upgrading the quality of their doughnuts while also going beyond the expectations of consumers. This way, doughnut shops can reach out to a wider audience. Lee, the owner of Bontemps, mentioned that he is thinking of opening new branches where he would use rice cakes alongside his original twisted doughnuts. With such innovative ideas and experimental mindsets, much is anticipated for the future of our doughnuts. 

[1] JoongAng

[2] MZ-generation: A term referring to people born between the 80s up to the early 2000s

[3] Ang-butter: A term referring to the flavor combination of red bean paste and butter

[4] Hankook Ilbo

[5] NewDaily