For me 21925 Marine View Drive will always be the little yellow hut known as Tyrone’s Pit. Tyrone became my dear friend and our bond was based on the fact that he made the best damned ribs this county has ever seen. After Tyrone left in 2011-ish? The place changed hands a few times and then…
Mini-The-Doughnut!
In terms of execution, this may be the most charming store front in all of Des Moines. As a former restaurant owner, I think Damone does everything right.
The product (sorry, restaurant people talk about the food as ‘the product’) is super great.
But just look at every detail of the exterior–from all the signs to the benches. Inside this tiny space, everything just -screams- “fun and enjoyment are to be had here!”
It’s hard to use the term ‘bittersweet’ when mentioning a donut shop, but although Mini-The-Doughnut- is an absolute joy, it’s also been disappointing to -me- that we haven’t been able to do more to connect what he does so well with other local businesses–to build a supportive ‘downtown’ more than just a collection of individual ‘businesses’. Somehow I feel that we haven’t quite done our part. I certainly hope to do more.
Anyhoo kudos to Mini-The-Doughnut. The best storefront you could ever imagine for this kind of business.
And again: the donuts (not ‘the product’ ) are as good as all the exterior stuff I’ve been gushing about. 🙂