Dough rising

Remember when "Dollars to Doughnuts" referred to two things of radically different value or probability?  Not so much anymore.

I was driving past a Dunkin' Donuts recently, and it's almost impossible not to do so in this area as there are about three per mile, and saw a poster advertising a half dozen for about $4.00.  I understand the overhead involved, but what do you think the product cost is for a doughnut, maybe 15 cents? But if you're buying doughnuts regularly, you probably won't need the money anyway.  So you'd think that doughnut shops would be making a financial killing as well, but who eats doughnuts these days (and they are delicious)?  Mostly old folks, families with bad moms, and Canadians.  Now with all the justified concern about obesity, the doughnut shops are turning to healthier foods.  But who goes to a doughnut shop if they want to eat healthy? (that's what Chipotle is for- I like Chipotle)  No, coffee is where the money is, with about a 90% gross margin.

A lot of people just want a decent cup of java at a reasonable price, especially coffee on the run (and that's what you'll be doing about an hour later), rather than what they'll find at Starbucks. (Grande? Really?)  But there is still something fundamentally tempting about the lowly doughnut.  I can still remember that as a kid on the coast of Maine in yesteryear summers what a treat it was to load up the car after the evening's family card game to take a spin up to Old Orchard (if not walk down the beach road for clam cakes) to watch the sour old man with the handlebar mustache make those tasty delights in front of you while you wait.  And even today, when a salesperson brings in a dozen beauties, those nutritionally pious faculty suddenly devolve into a horde of doughnut locusts.  Yes, it's easy enough not to stop at the store, but an entirely different matter when there's one right in front of you calling your name.  And doughnot holes?  Genius (makes up for those horrible jelly-filled).  Ummmm, doughnutsss, non-nom-nom...

imagre from forum.bodybuilding.com