©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Jennifer Farnsworth
A new doughnut shop, 518 Donuts, has opened in Clifton Park.
This one will combine doughnuts with speciality fried chicken.
Glenn Babinueau, Joseph Carl, and Sam Clifford officially opened the doors to 518 Donuts at 7 Southside Drive in Clifton Park and business has been good.
“Day one, there was a line all the way down the sidewalk waiting for the doors to open,” said Clifford.
He said all three owners have roots in Troy, where they were in the process of opening what was set to be their flagship shop. But they took one look at The Shops at Village Plaza and decided they would plan for locations in both Clifton Park and Troy.
“We basically walked in and said,’We will take it.’ We knew we had to move quickly on it,” said Clifford.
The opening was a big success.
“It was phenomenal. Word sort of got out about us. The community response has really been incredible,” said Clifford.
The idea for the business came after one of Clifford’s business partners talked often about a beloved doughnutut shop he would visit when traveling down south. The three then decided to travel around the country to see what seemed to work in terms of fresh, local donuts. In the midst of the research they came upon a fried chicken place in Philadelphia, and from there the concept of donuts and fried chicken came together.
“We immediately thought: This could really be something just unique enough to work,” said Clifford.
518 Donuts is currently concentrating on donuts and coffee. Soon they will roll out a chicken menu.
The freshly made cake doughnuts include flavors such as cookies and cream, maple bacon and mint chocolate They are supporting another local business by serving Wired coffee, based in Saratoga Springs.
Clifford said they want the message of “local and fresh” to resonate with customers. They feel not being micro-managed by a corporation is an advantage that will help to set them apart.
“We can react to customer feedback on the fly. If something doesn’t seem to be working, we can change it immediately,” he said.
Chicken sandwich options will have special combinations of sauces and toppings. Clifford said the chicken is fresh and non-GMO. It is fried twice for extra crispiness and is gluten-free, with the option to be served on a gluten-free bun.
518 Donuts is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The website is 518donuts.com.