Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Rudd.
Melissa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DONUTS! These are so much more than words—they are a way of life. Being a self-taught cook, I have fond memories of making donuts with my mom and have carried on that tradition with my own boys. Combining my creative side with my Italian heritage and absolute LOVE of donuts, my husband and I have created Da Vinci’s Donuts in March 2014.
Da Vinci’s is a unique and creative take on donuts and the typical donut cafe. You can choose from our inspired flavors, like tiramisu, maple bacon, or Dulce de leche or use your creativity to customize your own masterpiece! With our modest size donut yet abundant toppings, you can enjoy your treat with higher satisfaction and less guilt than traditional donuts. Pairing it with a locally roasted cup of coffee, or a gourmet cup of tea completes your experience. We strive to provide a unique, artistic environment that gets you in touch with your creative side.
We are a small, but growing company. We started in Alpharetta and have expanded to Sandy Springs and our first franchise in Dunwoody. In the next year, we will be in Lenox Mall, Cumming and Dawsonville.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My husband was a corporate lawyer for 20 years and I was an audiologist who had stayed home while my kids were young. This is our first time owning our own business so we had to learn quickly and on our own. I handle the daily tasks of running the business like making the donuts and customer service. Andy handles all the back end, like dealing with vendors, scheduling, payroll and franchising. It has been challenging, but we enjoy being able to run our own business.
Please tell us about DaVinci’s Donuts.
Our cake donuts are very light, unlike other cake donuts. They are less sweet which makes the toppings stand out. They are also smaller in size, so you can have one with less guilt, or get multiple flavors. We are known for our Maple Bacon and Salted Caramel donuts. We also have the ability to customize donuts to order. Pick an icing and topping and we can make your own creation right in front of you. We make every donut fresh daily. Our shop is a very relaxed atmosphere. We fry, top and display all in front of the customer, almost like you’re coming into my own kitchen. We also love to get involved in our community and donate to numerous charities.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have had more help at the start. Our first day open, we only had one employee, thinking it would take a while for people to find us. Alpharetta was so good to us. We had a line out the door the first day and were calling our friends to come and help. It was amazing.
Contact Info:
- Address: Alpharetta
131 S Main St.Sandy Springs
5610 Glenridge Dr.Dunwoody
5537 Chamblee Dunwoody Road - Website: http://www.davincisdonuts.com
- Phone: 678-392-2523
- Email: info@davincisdonuts.com
- Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/davincisdonuts
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/davincisdonuts/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavincisDonuts
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/da-vincis-donuts-alpharetta-3
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