Dutch Girl Donuts in Detroit offers 'test batches,' announces plans for reopening

Excitement is building on Woodward Avenue for the reopening of the beloved Dutch Girl Donuts.

A week ago, there was a hint of an impending opening via an Instagram post that mentioned "test batches."

The post featured a photo of the "Dutch Girl herself," Cecelia Timmer, who at 26 years old opened the doughnut shop with her husband John in 1947.

Now more than 75 years later, the iconic shop with the can't miss blue awning and signs on Woodward still stands and is carrying on and readying to soon reopen under the ownership of well-known Detroiter, Paddy Lynch.

Dutch Girl Donuts closed in early September 2021 and owner Gene Timmer died a few weeks later.

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“For me, it's a beautiful thing to see something that's been loved for decades come back to life,” Lynch said on Friday as customers dropped in. “I don't think there's one person in the city of Detroit that didn't want to see Dutch Girl back up and running.”

Lynch, who lives nearby in Detroit’s Arden Park, is a third-generation funeral director with Lynch and Sons, operating several metro Detroit funeral homes, and is the owner of Detroit’s historic bathhouse, The Schvitz.

On Friday, those passing by stopped in the beloved doughnut shop for a free taste of those freshly made test batches of yeasty glazed, twists and jelly filled doughnuts, some dusted with powdered sugar.

Lynch added with so much “goodwill and that much love from the community” in reopening Dutch Girl that “it makes everybody's job more enjoyable and more exciting because you're doing something that everybody appreciates.”

After months of owner speculation, in November 2023, Lynch announced he bought the business and building from the Timmer family. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Earlier this year, Lynch began renovations.

“We took the opportunity to replace almost all the equipment, but kept the original tables and other stuff, grinded and polished the original terrazzo floors, new lighting and painted the whole place. … So it’s a good start,” Lynch said.”

Hanna Timmer Parrow, daughter of the late owners Gene and Lauren Timmer, told the Free Press that “Paddy and his team have done a beautiful job with the shop!”

“They have honored its historical beauty and all the things that make it unique.”

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On Saturday, the doughnut shop will again pass out doughnuts for customers to try and, Lynch said, plans are for the store to be open by Mother’s Day, which is May 12.

With the new ownership, Jon Timmer, Gene and Lauren's son, will continue making the doughnuts and other confections just as they’ve been made for decades.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Timmer said on Friday. “I am looking forward to it. The owner is great.”

Timmer said everything is the same as it used to be.

“(There’s) some old stuff, some new stuff, some borrowed stuff and blue stuff, because … it’s Dutch Girl,” Jon Timmer said.

Some of that old equipment includes a beautiful unique wooden baker's table positioned at the front window, facing Woodward. Timmer said the table has been there since his grandparents ran the store. The table was angle-built, one side is wider than the other, so it sits at the angle of Woodward Avenue.

Several previous longtime employees are also back making and frying doughnuts and ready to serve customers.

“I’m very excited to be back, it feels like I’m back at home,” said Onica Ashely of Detroit, a 15-year Dutch Girl Donut employee.

While customers can expect the same tasty doughnuts, Lynch also teamed up with Becharas Brothers Coffee Co., a more than 100-year-old well-known company. The iconic Highland Park coffee roasters worked with Lynch, creating a Dutch Girl Donuts blend offered freshly roasted and sold in packages at the store.

Nicholas Becharas, CEO and president of the family-owned coffee company, said they are excited to bring their “iconic brand to an iconic place."

“I grew up not far from here, at Six Mile and Log Cabin, and came here since I was child,” Becharas said. “It's just a great thing that this is back up and running and we're really excited about talking about the blend.”

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Becharas revealed the Dutch Girl Donut coffee is a blend of Brazilian Colombian, Guatemala and Nicaragua coffee.

“It’s a medium roast, very sweet, very full-bodied like what we call a doughnut shop coffee … and what a more appropriate place to sell it than (Dutch Girl Donuts),” he said.

Lynch said he is also collaborating with Ray’s Ice Cream, to have a Dutch Girl ice cream by the Royal Oak favorite.

It was also important for Lynch to retain previous employees, including Jon Timmer.

“I wanted to retain the people that were most critical to the operation because then there's continuity and there's legacy and history,” Lynch said.

Once open, Dutch Girl Donuts, 19000 Woodward Ave., Detroit, will have Sunday hours and be closed Mondays. Hours are 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.