Driven by creativity and solid business practices, Holey Good Donuts located just outside Central is preparing to open a second location at 7930 Jefferson Hwy. in Baton Rouge. Owner Christian Pagtulingan recently told What Now New Orleans that his experience working for many years in a large Chinese take-out chain taught him how to focus on consistency and customer experience, a focus that he’s brought to Holey Good Donuts.
“Every now and then,” Pagtulingan said, “I see some of our workers want to do a shortcut, and I’m like, ‘No, we cannot do that.’
“We are constantly explaining the reasoning behind what we do, and once the reasoning resonates with them, the correct process becomes second nature, and everything will fall into place.”
The donut shop serves a wide variety of donut creations, all developed by Pagtulingan’s wife. It also offers biscuits, kolaches, and breakfast sandwiches. The breakfast sandwiches are always cooked to order, and Pagtulingan said customers at his Central location are willing to accept longer wait times to get their hands on a freshly-made sandwich.
“We would rather work harder to give the best quality food,” he said. “I don’t want to serve something that’s been sitting there for a long time and heated up in a microwave. If I don’t want to eat it, I won’t serve it.”
The Central area location has a casual donut shop feel, with deep community engagement. Staff members know the orders of their regulars by heart, and unsold donuts are donated to a local food bank. By comparison, the Baton Rouge location will have a drive-thru window and more of a take-out focus. Pagtulingan said he expects a faster pace of service at the new location. He added that the success of this new location and slightly different model will determine any expansion plans going forward.
“We’re going to see how the market is, and if Baton Rouge accepts us,” he said. “Then, if they accept us really well, that will be a sign that we can probably focus on more locations in Baton Rouge or maybe farther out.”
