An East Coast doughnut franchise will soon join CityScape’s other food, shopping and entertainment offerings.
Mark Prygocki, the Arizona branch manager of Fractured Prune Doughnuts, said downtown Phoenix ongoing revitalization made the location an appealing choice.
“There’s a lot of people outside the city and within the city that are there but there are also a lot of businesses,” Prygocki said. “They’re revitalizing downtown Phoenix!”
The company already has a store in US Airways Center that serves doughnuts to fans attending Phoenix Suns games.
Customers can definitely expect “quality doughnuts with a smile,” Prygocki said, as he described what makes the brand different from others.
“These are fresh doughnuts made to order right in front of you, with over 2000 different combinations. You can expect a great product,” Prygocki said.
Guests build their own doughnuts, which are are hand-dipped in one of 19 custom-made glazes and their choice of 14 toppings of the customer’s choice.
“Ours is a cake doughnut, and also, they’re made right on site in front of you where it comes served hot and topped just the way you like it, as opposed to other doughnuts that are mass produced and just sitting on the rack all day.” Prygocki said.
The store also offers a readymade menu. The brand’s best-selling doughnut is called the O.C. Sand, which the company’s website describes as “a doughnut with honey glaze and cinnamon sugar.”
Fractured Prune also uses flour made special for the franchise, Prygocki said.
Prygocki and his wife are investors in the brand, and they plan to expand to other parts of the Valley in future.
“It’s the whole strategy of getting out there and what we do,” Prygocki said. “Bringing brand awareness is what we are doing and that will allow us to expand.”
The first of the Fractured Prune Doughnuts’ stores opened in 1976 in Ocean Park, Maryland. The unique name of the franchise came when the founder was looking for a name that “expressed imagination and individuality” when a name caught his eye, according to the company’s website.
The moniker comes from an elderly woman named Prunella Shriek from the 19th century. She was an avid athlete but often returned from competitions in a wheelchair or on crutches. The townspeople nicknamed her “Fractured Prunella.” After reading about this spunky old lady, the company’s founder was inspired to name of the doughnut chain, “The Fractured Prune,” according to the company’s website.
The new store’s hours have yet to be confirmed. Prygocki said it needed to be flexible “based on customer demand.”
Potential customers said they thought the store would do well in its new location.
“A lot of people are definitely going to go there, it’ll do well.” Ashley Leva said.
Joanne Aguilar of Tucson had never heard of the brand before, but said that, “they’ll get a lot of business.”
Contact the reporter at syong2@asu.edu
