These days, I have been dreaming about traveling to Portland, Oregon at the next vacation. To be honest, it is just because I want to eat this unique and cute doughnuts.

Have you ever seen this before? These novel doughnuts are sold at “voodoo doughnuts”, and it became the biggest doughnuts chain of west coasts in United States, not only in Portland in a twinkling after the store opened. How do they success? At the first day which it was opened, they sold 3000 dollars in a day and the amount of sold is keep stabilizing at about 4000 dollars. Now they have many stores in Colorado and Taiwan.

The official home page of Voodoo doughnuts

This time I want to focus on why and how this products made such a big hit not only in Portland but other states in America and Asia.

 For the first, all of the doughnuts they make are very unique. As you can see, there are doll shaped one, colorful topping on colorful creams, beacons on a sweetened cream doughnuts, and so on. The number of its kinds is countless.  

 Since it not only the tastes good but they provide a lot of surprising services to their customers. For instance, they open their store at 10p.m. and close at 10a.m. That is, they open their store for 24 hours a day. “Cat daddy” who is an owner of the Voodoo doughnuts said that he had been wanted to start a doughnuts shop which open for a whole day because he want to eat doughnuts after the work at midnight.

               

“Our store is like a circus.” Said cat daddy. He wants to make it difference from any other doughnuts shop by using a lot of unique strategies. Let me give some examples.

                     

1.     Two eating contests

Both of them are eating fast competition, and the rule is simple. The first one is “Tex-ass challenge.” If someone can eat this big doughnut within eighty seconds, he/she can get doughnuts for free. It accept challenger anytime. Another one is “Fist Friday eating contest.” It is opened at once in a month at every first Friday at midnight, and you need sign up. You need to eat some doughnuts within 5 minuets.

               

2.     Cheap doughnuts in a big bucket

On a problem of safety, the doughnuts which passed 8 hours after it was made are ruled to throw away. However, Cat daddy taught it is a waste, so he decided to sell those products for cheap price, and put it into a big bucket. As you can see from this picture, it is still big even the size is small. There are about thirty to thirty-five doughnuts in a small size and sold as eight dollars. The big size is include forty to forty-five and it is just 10 dollars. Now it became very popular for the party.

                 

3.     Doughnuts in a coffin

This is a limited version, but they also sell doughnuts in a coffin. Orders pour in when the Halloween season comes every years.

                 

4.     Wedding campaign

Customers can have a wedding ceremony in the shop! They make very cheap and original doughnuts for couples instead of expensive wedding cake.

                  

 “Of course it is to be expected to provide delicious doughnuts, but circus is more important. If customers experienced something fun, they will tell it to their family, friends, and so on, and that will be the best advertisement.” Cat daddy told so. Hence they attach importance to provide unique experience which is an added value in their shop as he mentioned above. Now they are also planning to expand their business to Japan. If it comes to my home country, I would definitely like to go Voodoo doughnut and eat their unique doughnuts someday.  

M. (2016, March 13). ヴードゥー・ドーナツのキャットダディに聞く　ヘンテコ・ドーナツショップができるまで. Retrieved April 3, 2016, from http://noren3.com/interview/voodoo-doughnut3/