'I kept craving it': Naperville native brings Duck Donuts to his hometown

Kevon Gardner couldn't lose that craving.

The Naperville native had just returned from visiting his brother in Arizona, and the taste of the Duck Donuts he'd tried for the first time stayed with him.

So Gardner called the company headquarters and got the franchising ball rolling. About a year later — last weekend, to be exact — Gardner and his family opened Naperville's first Duck Donuts.

With lines nearly stretching out the door, it's quickly become a local sensation.

“Quite simply, it was the best doughnut I'd ever had,” Gardner said. “I kept craving it. It has a sustainability. People talk and think about these doughnuts for years and years.”

Gardner, a Waubonsie Valley High School graduate, opened Duck Donuts at 3124 S. Route 59 in Naperville. He knows it's a difficult space to enter with so many other doughnut shops in the area, but he firmly believes in the Duck Donuts concept.

His shop offers fresh, warm, made-to-order doughnuts and a variety of topping choices at no extra charge. Duck Donuts has standard favorites like maple bacon and Oreo, but customers also can choose whatever flavor combination they want on top.

Guests can watch it all happen behind a glass window while they wait five to 10 minutes for the doughnuts to be made. Ordering online and picking up at a specific time is also an option.

“Making it fresh right there makes a big difference for the customer,” Gardner said. “And we make it right in front of you.”

The Naperville Duck Donuts opened Saturday to great fanfare. The first person in line, who camped outside the shop the night before, will receive a dozen free doughnuts each month for a year. The next 50 guests received two dozen doughnuts and a bucket of coffee, and $2 off a dozen doughnuts went to the next 100 guests.

Even without the giveaways, the buzz has remained. Gardner said customers from as far away as Indiana and St. Louis have already visited.

Gardner has been so impressed with the response, he's hoping to open a second Duck Donuts elsewhere in Naperville once he gets settled in his current location.

“We just have a tremendous appreciation for how much the community has supported us,” Gardner said. “I'm a product of Naperville, so it's nice to come full circle.”