On December 2nd, three Future Business Leaders of America officers had the opportunity to visit Jack’s Donuts in Mishawaka, and gained a significant amount of insight into the business world as a result.

President Marie Achkar, Secretary of Strategic Communications Ben Bailey, and Senior Class Vice President Jack Bailey visited the “front of the house”, or storefront, for the first stop of the visit. The managers of the location highlighted the display case for the donuts, which contain the several dozen flavors of donuts sold, such as personal favorites named “Birthday Cake” and “White Iced”.

Afterwards, the officers were shown the ice cream display case, which is unique for the Mishawaka location. This store was deemed to be a “test site” for ice cream, meaning that they are among a handful of locations able to sell this special treat. The ice cream is brought in from a manufacturer in Florida, which the location managers visit frequently.

Finally, one part of the storefront that the officers enjoyed was the energy drink “station”, where unique flavors of these beverages are sold, such as “Neon Lights”. The managers noted that these drinks are healthier than typical energy drinks made by larger corporations, and pointed out that the ingredients don’t make you feel terrible after having the drinks.

After learning more about the showcasing of donuts and other items displayed, the officers were able to visit the kitchen and watch the production of donuts in real time. When in the kitchen, they watched multiple chefs make croissant-like donuts, among other items on their diverse menu. The process of producing donuts contains a handful of steps, such as hand-rolling the dough, putting the almost-finished product in a fryer, and then carefully applying icing to top the process off.

One fascinating aspect of the Jack’s Donuts procedure is how much the chef’s hands are involved, as opposed to technology or other utensils used by bigger chains. This was best seen in the steps of making the dough and applying the icing. Instead of using stencils or other tools to make the “base” of the donut, the workers craft them with their hands and carefully roll the dough. Additionally, the chef lathers the donut with icing by hand, instead of using a knife, spatula, or tube, as mentioned by the managers. This is why “no donut will ever be replicated at Jack’s Donuts”, one manager said, “as every part of the donut is made by hand”.

In sum, this visit to the Mishawka location of Jack’s Donuts was very insightful for the officers. They were able to learn about not only the donut-making side of the company, but the daily business operations that go into making a successful location. More specifically, they were able to learn about various promotions that help expand their customer base, the many sponsorships they have, and how forming relationships with those in their community is truly special for Jack’s Donuts.