For those who can’t decide which summer treat they want to snack on, a new business in York County is offering them all.
“When we first started, what we knew is I liked donuts and my wife liked ice cream,” said David Williams who owns Donutz on a Stick Ice Cream and Grill with his wife, Stephanie Williams.
The business opened in a location that housed a Dairy Queen for more than 50 years and most recently was home to the ice cream and burger business, Chill Out.
David and Stephanie Williams opened their first location in November 2014 in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, but David Williams said they’ve always had the vision to expand it. As a native of Hampton Roads, Stephanie Williams knew Yorktown would be the perfect community environment the family was looking for in a second location.
David Williams said the concept for Donutz on a Stick came to him while he was already planning to open another business. Before 2014, he had been working on a concept to open a breakfast dessert restaurant when his business colleague returned from the Minnesota Fair with a specialty donut.
“I’ve always loved donuts, I just do, and I thought ‘of course, why don’t we do donuts,'” he said.
His wife, however, already owned a jewelry and clothing store in the Outer Banks and was working at an ice cream shop at night. After collaborating, they decided to bring the two worlds together to make a new concept.
Now when people go to the shop, they can choose between an ice cream or a donut, or have one of the specialty items that features both. The business also has a toppings wall for customers, where guests can pick and choose different toppings, from gummy bears to sprinkles, for their donuts and ice cream.
Six weeks ago, the Williams family opened their second location in York County and have discovered the joy of a tight-knit community.
The new venture isn’t just a replication of their first location. In addition to now featuring a grill menu, David Williams said the location was chosen because it has the exact opposite of the tourism environment the Outer Banks location has.
“The tourist environment is very taxing and constant turnover,” David Williams said. “In the Outer Banks we would see people once or twice a summer, but here we can really get to know people.”
He added the business could have easily been somewhere in the Historic Triangle with a heavy tourist population, but he and his wife wanted a location with a community connection.
And so far, they’ve gotten their wish.
David Williams said in just over a month of being open in York County, their business has received an overwhelming amount of welcome. As a result, he said he wants his family business to be reflected in a community that puts family as priority.
A member of their family, which includes four children, will always be present from open to close at both locations. Part of the purchase of the new business location is a small house in the back of the lot that the family can stay in when traveling the two hours back and forth to their home in North Carolina.
The new location has granted them the room to learn, grow and experiment, David Williams said. They’ve been developing new creations, such as donut hamburgers and donut milkshakes, to bring something new to the community.
But most importantly, they’re just excited to be somewhere that feels like a second home.
“Because everyone has been so kind and patient, we will continue to improve every day,” he said. “We don’t know how to do it another way and [this community] deserves it.”
