Voodoo Doughnut's Seattle sweet spot is about to open in Capitol Hill
After a year of planning, Voodoo Doughnut is ready to open in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
The doughnut shop known for bizarre flavors will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 1201 Pine Street.
"Capitol Hill is the perfect home for our first Seattle shop," Voodoo Doughnut CEO Chris Schultz said in a statement. "We're not just opening a store; we're joining a community."
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The first 50 customers will get exclusive swag.
Voodoo's arrival in Seattle has been long in the making. News first broke of the doughnut shop's Capitol Hill plans more than a year ago. At that time, the company told KUOW that it estimated it would hire about 75 people to cover a 24/7 operation. It also planned to spend $500,000 to remodel the space on Pine Street.
Voodoo is doughnating 20% of its first-day sales to Seattle's FareStart. The nonprofit provides food industry training for people transitioning out of homelessness, as well as life skills.
"We are thrilled to partner with Voodoo Doughnut, a company that shares our commitment for empowering individuals and building stronger communities," FareStart CEO Patrick D’Amelio said in a statement. "This collaboration allows us to blend their innovative spirit with our transformational mission, making a sweet difference together right here in Seattle."
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Capitol Hill is Voodoo Doughnut's 22nd location in the U.S. While CEO Schultz previously told KUOW that Voodoo fans had long been asking for a Seattle shop, it is entering a crowded doughnut market in town. Top Pot and Mighty-O are well known in the city. Just up the street is Half and Half Doughnut Co. and General Porpoise. That adds up to a decent doughnut crawl across Capitol Hill, which is probably a good idea if you're going to eat all that sugar.
Voodoo prides itself on its quirky concoctions. It was putting bacon on maple bars before it was cool. It also puts stale cereal or entire wrapped sticks of bubble gum on doughnuts — the kind of recipes that sound as if they were invented, and are best consumed, after a night out clubbing.
After emerging in Portland in 2003, the shop started baking up new locations around Oregon and beyond. It has currently expanded into Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Vancouver, Wash., was the furthest north Voodoo Doughnut had advanced, until now. The company has four more locations in the works.