"We don't want to seem like just another chain coming to town," said Kristin Kellum, corporate communications manager for Duck Donuts.
Duck Donuts will celebrate its grand opening in Pflugerville's Stone Hill Town Center on March 14, marking the company's 91st location throughout the United States and its first in the Austin metro area. The store opened its first two locations in Kitty Hawk and Duck, North Carolina in 2007 before expanding its business.
Scott Bulger, a Round Rock resident and owner of the Pflugerville location, said he was drawn to the company because of its opportunities to give back to the surrounding community.
"Their morals and values aligned right with mine," Bulger said in an interview with Community Impact Newspaper during the company's March 11 media preview. "The Quack Gives Back, that’s where we’ll display who our partners are within the community.”
Quack Gives Back is an opportunity for Duck Donuts franchise locations to partner with local schools, hospitals, nonprofit organizations and other entities as a means of integrating in the community. Bulger said that for Pflugerville, Duck Donuts has partnered with Hendrickson High School's upcoming graduation golf tournament, adding a sweet twist to the classic hole-in-one event.
Nationally, Duck Donuts partners with the nonprofit organization Gabe's Chemo Duck Program, which provides stuffed ducks and medical play therapy to children undergoing cancer treatment. Each store location partners with the program during September in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
As Duck Donuts envelopes itself in the Pflugerville community, Bulger said he wants his location to expand beyond its four walls and be an immersive part of the Pflugerville experience. Duck Donuts offers catering services for events as large as weddings and as intimate as a child's birthday party. But Bulger said that for him, the most important part is giving Pflugerville residents a taste of home in his shop, one bite at a time.
“Our donuts are a nice, feel-good treat. And that’s what we want to do," Kellum said. "We want to evoke those smiles, elicit family members and traditions. Those that did come from the Outer Banks, we brought the Outer Banks to you.”
Duck Donuts will celebrate its grand opening on March 14 at 18616 Limestone Commercial Drive, Ste. 250, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, click here.
