Following last year’s successful introduction, the Underground Donut Tour has announced the return of America’s Greatest Donut contest for its second year. The contest looks to find the greatest donut shops in America along with their fan favorite donuts.
In 2022, the first year for the contest, 300 different donut shops were nominated, and 8,000 votes cast. The fan favorite with the most overall votes was the Cinnamon Caramel Donut from Rise n’ Roll Bakery, based in Indiana. Some of the other 2022 category winners included Doughnut Project, Café Du Monde, Five Daughters Bakery, Duck Donuts, Peter Pan, Union Square and Voodoo Donuts.
Now through April 19, the contest is accepting nominations from anyone who wants to submit their donut shop and their best donuts. Using those nominations, a list will be compiled of the best categories of donuts in the country (Best Cake, Best Croissant, Best Chocolate, etc.) and put up for a vote between April 26 and May 17. Once voting is completed, the results will be tallied and America’s Greatest Donut winners will be announced on May 24, just a few short weeks ahead of National Donut Day on June 2.
Each winning shop will receive an award and the ability to tout that they have some of America’s Greatest Donuts. The one shop that receives the most overall votes will receive a $500 prize and recognition as America's Greatest Donut: Fan Favorite. Lastly, 5 random winners from across America will be picked to come and attend the Underground Donut Tour for free in any city that it operates.
In business for nearly 8 years, the Underground Donut Tour has expanded to 14 tours operating across America including Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City (Downtown, Times Square and Brooklyn), Miami, Philadelphia, Portland, Santa Monica, Seattle and Washington, DC, with more on the way in 2023. Additionally, the Underground Donut Tour operates internationally in Toronto, Vancouver, London and Dublin, with more international locations opening soon in the very near future.