Army Vet Leading COVID Vaccine Distribution To Open Duck Donuts In Vienna

VIENNA, VA — Vienna residents soon won't have to venture out of town to pick up some of Duck Donuts' sweet treats.

Duck Donuts will open a Vienna location at 256 Maple East in the old T-Mobile space next to Smoothie King. Owner Matt Yiengst told Patch the business is aiming to open in summer 2024.

Yiengst has worked as a career military officer in the U.S. Army serving tours Afghanistan and Iraq flying a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. In the last decade, he has been an army strategist, serving as lead planner for distributing the COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. and abroad.

"My wife (Jenny) and I have served as a military family for over 20 years. We want to continue our service in another way - serving smiles through warm, delicious made to order donuts," Yiengst told Patch. "I found Vienna to be the small town that reminded me of growing up in the small town of New Oxford, Pennsylvania, where everyone enjoys satisfying conversations over delicious food."

Duck Donuts is a franchise originally founded in the Duck community of North Carolina's Outer Banks in 2007. The business specializes in made-to-order donuts as well as coffee, ice cream, and breakfast sandwiches on donuts.

Yiengst's family first came across Duck Donuts in Springfield and found out more about the brand's history.

"Our first-hand customer experience and the quality of the donuts led us to explore the opportunity to open a store - and Vienna is a great fit," said Yiengst.

The Outer Banks-founded Duck Donuts has caught on in Northern Virginia, as the North Carolina beach community is a popular vacation destination for local residents. There are eight locations open in Northern Virginia.