A doughnut shop chain well known on the West Coast for a large selection of vegan options and boundless creativity is opening up their first Chicago shop this weekend.
Saturday morning marks the official grand opening for Voodoo Doughnut in Fulton Market, with the business opening up at 8 a.m. with a "special treat" offered for the first 50 people in line.
Additionally, a portion of the sales from Voodoo's grand opening will be donated to Make-A-Wish Illinois.
Located at 945 W. Randolph St., Chicago's Voodoo location will be the chain's 22nd shop in the country.
“We are thrilled to open our first store in Chicago just in time for all to enjoy some of that Voodoo Magic during the holiday season," Chris Schultz, Voodoo Doughnut’s CEO, said in a statement.
For the uninitiated, Voodoo Doughnut offers more than 50 kinds of gourmet doughnut, including 25 vegan options, sold in pink boxes. Some of the best-known flavors include the Bacon Maple Bar, a raised doughnut bar with maple frosting and bacon; the Memphis Mafia, "fried dough with banana chunks and cinnamon, topped with glaze, chocolate chips, peanuts, and chocolate and peanut butter drizzle;" and The Cannolo, a rolled doughnut filled with sweet Bavarian Cream or diced apples and rolled in sugar or dusted in cinnamon and sugar.
The CEO of Voodoo Doughnut doesn't take the popular chain's entrance into Chicago lightly, and he insists the future Windy City destination for Voodoo's 50 decadent doughnut varieties is "worth the wait" — in more ways than one.
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"We've been looking in Chicago for a number of years, just looking for the right location," Schultz told NBC Chicago in an October interview. "Chicago ... it's so big and so diverse with so many different, amazing neighborhoods — truly amazing neighborhoods — and we've been looking, waiting for the right place to land."
But if you're wondering whether Voodoo Doughnut's recent acceleration of openings, including five new spots this year, they're not eyeing any other Midwest locations besides Chicago. "When you get to Chicago, that's as far as you can go to get a Voodoo Doughnut," Schultz said.
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Of course, fans of Portland-based Voodoo Doughnut know the brand's shops tend to draw lines of people.
Guests to the future Chicago location can expect hand-picked chandeliers, black velvet painting, good mojo and lots and lots of doughnuts.
"We're going to build this store to feel like it's a Chicago store, and not like we just picked up and moved from Portland to Chicago. It's super important for us to be a part of the neighborhood."
