NH Doughnut Co. making a Concord comeback at Fort Eddy Plaza

Amanda Baril didn’t plan to go into the doughnut business.

It happened serendipitously for Baril, who previously worked in banking and spent several years as a stay-at-home mom. The sweet, circular treats captivated her and her husband, as did the endless possibilities for flavor and decoration.

“I think we saw a doughnut machine once and we were like, ‘Oh, that’s super cool. That would be a really neat thing to do’ — and I think also having little kids at the time, and them just loving it,” she recalled.

They moved with their three kids from North Carolina to New Hampshire before the pandemic. The couple opened the first NH Doughnut Co. in Chichester in 2019 before expanding to Concord and then to Bedford.

But the Concord location in Capital Plaza did not have a kitchen, so Baril was shipping doughnuts first from Chichester, then from Bedford when the Chichester location closed.

Now, NH Doughnut Co. is moving from downtown to Fort Eddy Road, where it will take up residence in the same lot as Planet Fitness. A full kitchen, seating and coffee options await customers at the new spot, which should open in early-to-mid April if all goes according to plan, Baril said.

Parking will also be much easier than it was downtown.

“We’re really excited to get back open in Concord,” said Baril. “We had to shut down our current spot, and we relocated all the employees to this location [in Bedford]. So for a few months now, we’ve had everyone here training in how to run the kitchen and all of that, so that when we do finally open there, we’re able to just hit the ground running and go.”

The previous Concord storefront went weekends-only in the fall before shutting its doors in January. Baril has been renovating the Forty Eddy store in preparation for the opening since then.

With cake doughnuts, yeast ones with delicious fillings, crullers, cronuts and more, the eatery’s flavors range from brown butter sea-salt, coffee Oreo and cinnamon sugared to honey-dipped glazed, maple cream and chocolate-filled.

Baril and her team spend time each week crafting specials while keeping customer favorites on the menu. They have also branched into poptarts and other baked goods.

In January and July, NH Doughnut Co. does themed weeks, with treats centered around Disney movies or different books, for instance. She enjoys the challenge of coming up with interesting flavors and designs that fit a theme, and she loves to see people get excited about it.

“Some weeks, you just look at the doughnuts and be like, ‘Wow, we did a good job,’” she said.

Having a strong team makes all the difference in the world, she said.

“We have such a good staff, and it’s just a good energy,” said Baril. “They’re a lot of fun to be around. And they all kind of share the same vision. They’re all super creative.”

The new Concord location will be at 89 Fort Eddy Road. For more information, visit www.nhdoughnutco.com.

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