An Oklahoma City man is opening a Hurts Donut Company franchise down the street.
Hurts Donut is a doughnut shop originally from Springfield, Missouri, which is known for unconventional toppings and creations. The new location will be at 601 N.W. 23rd St., and will officially open on March 21.
Currently the closest location to OCU is on the University of Oklahoma’s campus in Norman.
Abby Bryan, acting sophomore, said Hurts is a great place for college students to connect.
“It’s on a college campus at OU, and even having to make that journey there now, you can feel that sense of community of college students since it’s open 24 hours,” Bryan said. “We’re all struggle-bussing our way through it, but at least we got a good doughnut. I think that sense of community will continue when they move to OKC.”
Hurts officials have advertised to the Oklahoma City community on their Facebook page and are offering a free dozen doughnuts or a free single doughnut to users who comment, like or share their Facebook posts. They are also advertising a camp out outside the shop the night before the grand opening, claiming they will enter the first 100 people in line into a drawing for a year of free donuts.
Melissa Campbell, music theater sophomore, won a free dozen doughnuts from Hurts and will receive them at their grand opening.
“I shared a lot of their posts. I think I shared three or four of them,” Campbell said. “I liked every single one that I saw or loved it, and then I commented on almost every single one. Essentially, every time a post came up, I had a small panic attack and said, ‘Oh my God, I need to do something with this post.’”
Campbell said Hurts is popular because of their quality.
“Their doughnuts are the greatest doughnuts I’ve ever had,” she said.
Campbell said the new location is great for both OCU students and Hurts’s business.
“They were smart in their business move. OCU students drove 40 minutes to go get Hurts, so their business here is going to be even better,” she said.
New businesses have opened along 23rd Street throughout the past year, attracting more students to the area. Campbell said she thinks Uptown 23rd will benefit from Hurts because it will increase business in local shops and help the district grow.
“A bunch of students are going to be visiting that place, and maybe by visiting Hurts, then they’ll look into the other places in the area too,” she said.
Bryan is a member of Alpha Chi Omega and said the new location will have a positive impact on Alpha Chi’s biannual philanthropy event “Donut Let Love Hurt,” a fundraising event for victims of domestic violence.
“We’ve even talked about the possibility of joining with them or hosting Donut Let Love Hurt at Hurts,” she said. “It could only help us in the future.”
Hurts has opened up job applications to the public. According to their Facebook page, they will be hiring 80 new employees. Because the shop will be open 24/7, employees will work eight-hour shifts.
Students can check Hurts’ Facebook page, “Hurts Donuts – Oklahoma City” for more information.
Staff Writer Jessica Vanek was hired at Hurts Donut. She did not participate in the writing or editing of this story.
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