#NationalDonutDay Belongs to Mr. T's

It's time to talk about the GOAT. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of glaze. The Kathy Bates of dough. The Dwight Kurt Schrute of donuts. If you don't know what I'm talking about by now, then you have never tried this next spot, or you are just blind to the fact that it is the home of the most delicious donuts in the universe. Mr. T's is the GOAT, anything else is just Fake News that you probably got from FOX (Friendly reminder that FOX is an entertainment channel, not a credited news source).

Mr. T's Donuts
3507 Tully Road, Modesto, CA
​Hours: 24/7

I don't remember the first time I went to Mr. T's. I want to say it was back when I was in high school, over the summer I would go along with my step-dad when he would deliver the newspaper. On busy nights/mornings, we would sometimes not be done until around 5 or 6 am and by that time there'd be no reason to go back to sleep.

We would occasionally get some donuts for everyone so that they could all wake up to some donuts, but of course we got first dibs. I remember trying different spots, pretty much whoever was open at the time. But Mr. T's is 24/7 and they always have fresh donuts around the clock, so at some point it just became the only spot we would go to.

You want to talk about a 'hole in the wall' this place is the ultimate success story for that. The family owned donut shop that opened it's doors in 1989 has not closed them since. They have almost built a religious type of following with these godly sweets. Their customers will accept nothing less than a Mr. T's donut.

​I have called people out on multiple occasions when they have brought donuts to work that aren't Mr. T's. Those conversations have usually gone like this:

Me: "Who brought these?"
Coworker: "I did! Please, enjoy one!"
Me: "What the hell is your problem, bro? Who the hell do you think I am? You brought donuts in this pink box? There ain't no Mr. T's logo on this box, and I know they didn't change from their white box to these shits. *Picks up trash donut* Look at this shit, bro. This shit is heavy. If I put this donut on a scale the shit might break. How much did you pay for this?"
Coworker:*flabbergasted* "Uhh - I think like $14-"
Me: "$14?! FOUR-TEEN DOLLARS? For this shit?! Mr. T's ain't never charged over $12 for a dozen of the World's Greatest Donut, and you out here disrespecting me by bringing this into work. Wowwww bro, this really just told me everything I need to know about you."

Honestly, it probably goes longer than that. I will straight gas you. Don't ever come at me saying there is any donut in the world, let alone Modesto, that is better. I will take it personal. And I have, just ask my boss.

I went off on her at 6 am for even suggesting that another local donut shop, which doesn't even deserved to be mentioned in this post, had better donuts. I was hot. She ruined my whole day, like for real. I felt personally attacked early in the morning.

This place is legendary. Most of the time, the line is out the door. Walking in and seeing a full case of donuts is like Christmas morning. Watching the workers go hard on deep frying thousands of donuts is like watching Santa's elves go to work right in front of you. But the best part is that you get to pick your presents. They always have so many different flavors and types of donuts to choose from, but I know what I like when it comes to donuts. I stick to the classics.

The way to really tell if a donut shop is 'bout it, is by the taste and texture of their raised, glazed donut. If you can make the most basic type of donut your main attraction, everything else will fall into place. Biting into that donut is what I can only describe as a dream.

Think about the softest pillow you've ever had, then multiply that by a thousand and make it lighter than a feather. And then turn it into deep dried dough and smother it in liquid sugar and it's the same thing. I have found myself branching out a bit and trying some of their other donuts occasionally, but I keep it OG with the raised glazed, maple glazed, and old fashion glazed donuts.

There is no wrong way to go.

The love is in the dough, honestly. I have never come across another donut that is quite as soft and delicate as theirs. The sweetness is never overpowering, the recipe has yet to fail them. People like to say 'go with what you know' and I think they know what they're doing.

​One of my favorite things in the world is watching people experience Mr. T's for the first time. Last year, I brought donuts to work and this guy that was from Southern California had never tried it. So I gave him this huge speech before he was allowed to touch a donut, about what was about to happen to him and how he would never see donuts the same again.

He even was a little upset because he said I probably set the bar too high, and I assured him that it is impossible to put the bar high enough. He bit into the donut, as he chewed you could tell his mind had completely forgotten about every worry or stress he had in his life at that time. As he finished his bite, he turned to me and said "That is a solid fuckin' donut." He repeated that about 5 more times. And honestly, that's what I say every fuckin' time too bud.