Donut Miss Frosty's

Most people think of lobster or other seafood when considering food choices in Maine, but there's other indulgences as well. In Brunswick, ME, that means donuts.

Selection of donuts at Frosty's Donut Shop in Brunswick, ME

Since we missed celebrating National Donut Day on the first Friday in June last month, we made up for that oversight last weekend.

Frosty's, 54 Maine St, Brunswick, ME

Frosty's founders, June & Bob Frost

Frosty’s Donut Shop is located in the heart of downtown Brunswick, ME, ironically on Maine Street. It was established in 1965 by Bob and June Frost. Within a few years, their selection of traditional donuts, from glazed to frosted became well known in the area leading to a faithful following. Customers either made a stop here as part of their daily routine or found a reason to travel to Brunswick. (Luckily, we were already there for another event.)

The donut shop became an “iconic institution” in the community and recognition in regional and national recognition in publications such as Downeast, Travel & Leisure, and Saveur. 

The current name and location were not the original shop. The Frosts had originally bought into a Spudnut Donut Shop franchise for an initial investment of $5,000. They opened it near Bowdoin College in Brunswick. 

Vintage Spudnut Donut Ads

Spudnut shops, which predated Dunkin'® Donuts, were selling about 400,000 spudnut donuts made with potato flour annually. The American franchise grew to more than 300 shops at one time. While the parent company no longer exists, about 35 independent shops remain open in nine states. The name was originally coined by company founders Al and Bob Pelton of Salt Lake City, UT, who created a dry potato mix which made it feasible to franchise their creation.

The original recipe is based on a German folk recipe. Spudnuts were advertised with the slogan Coast to coast—Alaska to Mexico. Over the history of Spudnuts, there were over 600 stores throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. A bow-tied donut character, Mr. Spudnut, appeared in ads, restaurants, and parades. In the late 1960s, there were 315 franchise holders, with combined annual sales of $25 million. Spudnut shops were the largest doughnut franchise in the U.S.

Two years after the Frosts relocated to the Maine Street location, business became slow and the shop name was changed to Frosty’s. (I'm not sure if the donuts continued to be made with potato flour.)

Bob and June Frost maintained the popular Frosty’s Donut Shop for 46 years until Bob closed its doors in June 2011, shortly after June's death. 

Nels Omdal and Shelby St. Andre

In 2012, Nels Omdal and his wife Shelby St. Andre, a local couple, who had also been loyal customers purchased Frosty’s. Omdal had a background in food production and restaurant management and his wife had experience in business and finance. They felt they had the skills and drive needed to grow the business throughout the state.

They didn’t know anything about making doughnuts.

The couple stayed faithful to the recipes and business model developed by the Frosts and Bob worked with them in the kitchen. The basic donut recipe remained the same. (Bob Frost died in June 2019 at age 85. )

Running the donut shop meant long hours. After taking over Frosty's, its new owners served donuts 7 days a week.  They expanded the business to four more retail locations throughout Maine—Augusta, Bath, Gardiner and Freeport—and delivered breakfast items to over 40 locations statewide. When the Covid pandemic hit, all shops were voluntarily closed. The Gardiner and Freeport closures closed permanently to maintain the long-term health of the company according to its owners.

Grenville & blueberry fritter

If you're in Brunswick, ME, on a weekend and looking for a sweet treat, stop into Frosty’s at 54 Maine St. The donut shop is open Friday to Sunday, 7 am to 2 pm, takeout only, no delivery. The menu includes raised donuts, cake donuts, rings, glazed twists, and bagels as well as hot and cold drinks.

In 2023, Frosty’s owners opened a production facility in Brunswick and now deliver breakfast items to over 40 locations throughout the state.

Although ALL of the donuts looked delicious, we can personally recommend the fritters. Grenville enjoyed a blueberry-filled one and mine was the traditional apple-filled variety.

Not only were both were both delicious 😋 but, of course, calories don't count when traveling 😉. . . isn't that right?