A Rubber Ducky Doughnut Chain Just Arrived In The I-680/Hwy 24 Corridor

WALNUT CREEK — An East Coast upstart doughnut chain has landed in the Bay Area, frying made-to-order pastries and testing whether Californians will embrace the $4 warm “ring of happiness.”

Duck Donuts opened its first Bay Area shop in February at 2920 North Main St. in Walnut Creek, its fourth California location and first north of Los Angeles.

Founder Russell DiGilio launched the company in 2007 in the small beach town of Duck, North Carolina, after spotting what he saw as a glaring hole in the vacation destination: no fresh doughnut shop.

In contrast, Walnut Creek, and the surrounding area near I-680/Hwy 24 interchange, do not lack for donut shops. Duck Donuts' Walnut Creek shop sits in a corridor already staked out by fried-dough competition, including Donut King and Allstar Donuts.

The brand is built on hot cake doughnuts served hot from the fryer with nearly 50 toppings and flavor combinations. Duck Donuts options include playful names like “Beach Ball” and “Sunrise,” and March flavors like "Strawberry Magical Charms" and "Bacon Shamrock"—vanilla icing and crispy chopped bacon.

At their core is a vanilla cake doughnut fried fresh and then customized with icings, toppings, and drizzles. The model has become trendy, with shops like Dutch Door Donuts.

Cake-based doughnuts don’t need time to rise, so they can be made to order and served hot within minutes. Yeast doughnuts (the light and airy ones, like a french cruller) rise for an hour or more before frying, which helps explain the origin story of Duck Donuts.

And, instead of the now-classic pink box, Duck Donuts come in a brown box printed with the likeness of the company's mascot — a rubber ducky.

The company describes its mission simply: “to serve a warm, edible ring of happiness around the globe.” Local reactions have been curiosity at made-to-order doughnuts — and sticker shock.

Some commenters in a Walnut Creek Facebook group flinched at prices listed around $34 for a dozen, or $4 for one, as the Mercury News noted. For some the price was worth the fresh-from-the-fryer treats, calling the maple bacon doughnuts “delightful” and saying they saw "sparkles when they are fresh and warm.”