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Community rallies to help struggling Scottsdale donut shop

By
Small Business
Published July 31, 2026 3:15 PM MST
Published July 31, 2026 3:15 PM MST
Locals try to save Scottsdale's 'The Local Donut'
Locals try to save Scottsdale's 'The Local Donut'

Locals try to save Scottsdale's 'The Local Donut'

Daniel Tes was humbled by the response from the Scottsdale community after sharing financial struggles. FOX 10's Annlisa Pardo has more on The Local Donut.

The Brief

    • Summer is the slow season for local businesses. The Local Donut in Scottsdale struggled to make payroll recently.
    • Owner Daniel Tes turned to social media to share the shop's financial challenges and ask for support.
    • The community quickly responded by packing the shop, with some local businesses even pre-paying for customers.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Running a donut shop is a grind – as one worker noted, "Early is an understatement. We start at 11, 12 at night."

The backstory:

It's a grind Daniel Tes does not take for granted.

"The people, the creativity," Tes said. "Creating donuts and coming up with different flavors fulfills that creative spark."

He opened The Local Donut in Scottsdale about 10 years ago.

"The best. Blueberry, you got to get the blueberry," an unnamed customer said.

Loyal regulars and new customers helped The Local Donut, a Scottsdale donut shop, stay open after its owner posted an online plea for help.

But this summer's slow season turned things from sweet to sour.

"A lot of small businesses deal with it, but this year was different," Tes said. "We felt the pressure after spring training to get things ready for summer, and we just couldn't catch up. Last week was probably our worst. We couldn't make payroll."

Loyal regulars and new customers helped The Local Donut, a Scottsdale donut shop, stay open after its owner posted an online plea for help.

Dig deeper:

So he turned to social media, sharing the shop's challenges and asking for help.

"I kind of had to humble myself and ask for help from the community, ask for help from God," Tes said.

And the community showed up, packing the place the next day. Other small businesses even pre-paid for unassuming customers.

"There's a lot of selfless people out there, a lot of generous people," Tes said.

Their regulars are relieved the doors are staying open.

"They've got a lot of great options as well as super friendly people, so it's a great time to come in here real quick for a donut," said Harris Dozier, a regular customer at the donut shop.

And Daniel is ready to keep serving donuts and the community.

"People are there to help out, and I definitely want to pay it forward as well too," Tes said.

Loyal regulars and new customers helped The Local Donut, a Scottsdale donut shop, stay open after its owner posted an online plea for help.

What you can do:

Click here to learn more about The Local Donut and how to visit.

The Source

  • Information in this report was gathered from Daniel Tes, and The Local Donut customers.

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