5 donut shops hoping to bake up a winner at WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards – WRAL News
RALEIGH, N.C. — The votes are in and it is almost time to find out who the winners are in the 2022 WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards presented by M&F Bank. The awards will be announced Jan. 12, 2023. This is story is part of a series focusing on the categories that got the highest numbers of votes.
It’s a highly competitive category each year – Best Donuts.
Just like other great rivalries, Krispy Kreme and Duck Donuts have been battling it out each year to be the winner of the WRAL Voters’ Choice Award in this category. Duck Donuts won the first award in this category in 2017, only to lose to the Winston-Salem franchise in 2018.
Duck Donuts captured the award again in 2019 edging out Krispy Kreme by 41 votes. Krispy Kreme came back in 2020 and won the award by just a 20 vote margin. The 2021 contest saw Krispy Kreme walk away victorious.
The 2022 winner has some tough competition. Here are the finalists for Best Donuts:
Krispy Kreme (Various locations)
With locations across the state, this donut franchise is likely the most well-known of the finalists.
Rudolph brought his business first in Nashville, Tennessee, then a couple years later, opened a store in Winston-Salem. That was 85 years ago.
You can visit and take a tour of the original “Flagship” doughnut shop in Winston-Salem on South Stratford Road.
The innovative business owner cut a hole in his window, giving customers immediate access to his doughnuts.
Now, the shop has opened locations across the world, so that everyone can get a taste of that hot original glazed!
Duck Donuts (Various locations)
Russ DiGilio and his family founded this donut shop after spending many fun vacations in the Outer Banks in Duck, North Carolina. This shop is all about the toppings! You can get a seemingly endless number of combinations on top of your donuts.
Bakers Dozen (Raleigh and Durham)
There are two of these shops in the area – one in Raleigh and another in Durham. This shop is known for its homemade donuts, apple fritters and other baked treats.
Early Bird Donuts (Durham)
Small batches, lots of hard work and a …….