Mmm…donuts. Daily Donuts brings one of America’s favorite sweets to Benicia. (Facebook)

Somewhere, Homer Simpson is making plans to travel from Springfield to Benicia. The town finally has its own donut shop on Columbus Parkway.

Daily Donuts, which aims to bring glazed and sprinkled treats to Benicia, had its soft opening in September and officially opened on Halloween. However, its roots go back even further, as the family that operates it has owned Vallejo Great Donuts on Tennessee Street for 19 years. Co-owner Tania Chhan said they had been receiving requests to open an additional shop in Benicia for years.

“We thought it would be a good time to open a second store, kind of like a satellite store, in Benicia,” she said.

Although donut shops are plentiful in Vallejo, they have not had a presence in Benicia for a long time. Franchises like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts are miles away, so Benicians have had to rely on the bakeries at grocery stores for their donut fixes. Chhan said the goal is to provide freshly made donuts and pastries.

“We’ve heard from every customer that we’ve always needed a donut shop in Benicia, so we’re hoping to fill that void so that people can get fresh donuts every day and not have to go to the grocery stores. Usually, there’s nothing better than a donut from a local shop that’s handmade, handcrafted and fresh every day. It just brings more authenticity to the donut.”

Daily Donuts moved into the space previously occupied by India Market Bazaar and had its initial soft opening in September, but it took until Oct. 31 for the shop to clear some hurdles with the city and have its official grand opening, which Chhan said coincided with the 19th anniversary of the opening of Vallejo Great Donuts.

“The timing was pretty nice,” she said.

As one could guess, the shop specializes in donuts of various flavors and varieties, but it sells more than just snacks. Chhan said the shop had partnered with Vallejo roaster Fern’s to provide coffee. Pastries like croissants, apple turnovers and Danishes are also available as are morning items like ham and cheese croissants, breakfast burritos and sausage rolls. Daily Donuts also carries over the tradition from the Vallejo store of serving Australian meat pies such as beef and mushroom pie, beef and curry pie, and beef and gravy pie.

“A lot of people are really picking up the savory items like sausage rolls, which is good exposure,” Chhan said.

Chhan said the restaurant has no current plans to change its menu, although certain items may be added by request. She said the response so far has been positive, and she hopes it can become a Benicia mainstay.

“Everybody’s been so supportive,” she said. “The feedback and the turnout has been really good.”

Daily Donuts is located at 2074 Columbus Parkway near Napoli’s Pizza. It is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 297-6101 or visit the shop’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/Daily-Donuts-505734629759567/?ref=py_c.

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