Interview of The Week: Glazed & Confused

NYFTA: What was the initial idea behind Glazed & Confused? What made you think of opening a donut truck?

Danny: The initial concept of Glazed & Confused began on my honeymoon when I first saw the donut machine that makes our donuts. I was completely mesmerized and knew this would be a concept that would thrive in NYC. We use a completely automated donut ‘robot’ that pops out fresh mini donuts with the press of a button. After doing some research, I pulled the trigger and bought my first machine. Then came the fun part, testing the recipes 🙂

NYFTA: Can you tell us more about the donuts and the menu?

Danny: The donut batter we use has some unique exotic spices. I don’t want to give away too much, but there is turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg in our batter. Our glazes and toppings are meant to be simple. We aren’t trying to cover the flavor of the donut. We have about eight flavors on our menu at all times. The other flavors are seasonal, and we like to have fun with them. The craziest topping is our New York Pork Donut (NYPD)…it’s a 12-hour pork shoulder shredded and topped with a barbecue glaze.

NYFTA: How long have you been in the industry?

Danny: I have been in the food business since I graduated from college and had never worked for anyone but myself since then. Being an entrepreneur has its ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The biggest challenge I face is finding people who share the same passion and drive to be in this industry as myself. I am lucky to have a life long friend who is a partner in the business who I brainstorm and bounce ideas off.

NYFTA: Were there any significant obstacles along the way that you had to overcome?

Danny: Because of the nature of the business, you are bound to experience some headaches. Breakdowns will happen. Employees will call out. You’re inevitably going to run out of the one ingredient your customer wants. I try to learn from every negative experience and be better in the future.

NYFTA: How is Glazed & Confused doing as a business? Do you have any exciting changes planned for the future?

Danny: We have been fortunate to experience lots of success since our first year in business which was 2015. Year to year sales have grown at over 50% per year, and each year it seems to get more comfortable and more profitable. Most people will probably slow down, but not Glazed & Confused. The immediate future will see our third donut truck hit the road, sometime early spring 2019. The bigger vision is to expand the company to the west coast. We are actively exploring (I am here doing market research right now!) the LA/Orange County markets and hope to have our first truck out there by the end of 2020.

Thank you, Danny, for answering our questions. NYFTA wishes Glazed & Confused a lot of success in the future!