5 Fun Facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!
Louisville’s favorite doughnut shop provides great business lessons and even better doughnuts!
It's National Doughnut Day, an observance dating back to the 1930s, which honors the Salvation Army "Lassies" who served doughnuts and other treats to U.S. Troops during World War I. Here in Kentucky, we take our doughnuts pretty seriously. In fact, the New York Times once traced a doughnut trail across our great Commonwealth. One of the state's most beloved doughnut stops is in a gas station! That's the great thing about doughnuts: they're inexpensive, accessible, and enjoyed by almost everybody! My favorite doughnut spot is Hi-Five Doughnuts, which serves amazing creations with a Kentucky flair. You absolutely MUST try the bourbon caramel glaze, and if you're really brave, you can try the Kentucky Fried Buttermilk Chicken Doughnut.
Hi-Five Doughnuts is one of my favorite Kentucky businesses, combining local ingredients, awesome female entrepreneurs, incredible marketing, and a fabulous product. Let's celebrate National Doughnut Day with five fun facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!!!
1. Hi-Five is woman-owned and operated. Leslie Wilson and Annie Harlow began their business running a food truck, affectionately named Shelby, then opened a storefront in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood.
The bacon-glazed doughnut is amazing, y'all.
2. The business name pays tribute to the legend that the custom of giving a high-five was invented in a U of L basketball practice in the 1970s.
3. Hi-Five has trademarked their hashtag! When you talk about the #ladiesofthemorning, then according to to the US Patent and Trademark office you're referencing Hi-Five Doughnuts!
4. The Hi-Five business model is so cool, a book has been written about it! Dr. Lyle Sussman of U of L's College of Business wrote "Breaking the Glaze Ceiling: Sweet Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Wannabes", which establishes 12 business principles based on Leslie and Annie's success. In interviewing the Doughnut Ladies for a prior article, I was so impressed that they built the entire enterprise on a no-debt model, opting instead to purchase only what they could afford at any given time.
That's cinnamon glaze + Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You need it in your life.
5. Everybody loves Hi-Five! The Travel Channel has visited them, they're a staple at local events like the Forecastle Festival, and they're often served as a finishing touch at local galas and weddings.
The Five Best Doughnuts in Kentucky: 2016 Edition
It's National Doughnut Day! Celebrate with Kentucky's favorite doughnuts!
Here in Kentucky, we love our doughnuts. We love them so much that, a few years back, the New York Times even ran a piece tracing Kentucky's Doughnut Trail.
Doughnuts are the absolute best -- they're sweet, inexpensive little pieces of nostalgia. They make you remember the morning you got to play hooky and pick up a sugary breakfast after a doctor's appointment, or the times your grandma fried up a fresh batch, or that little bakery in your hometown that made THE BEST doughnuts.
Last year's HerKentucky National Doughnut Day post stirred up a lot of feelings from y'all -- apparently, I missed out on a lot of local gems in my hunt for the five best doughnuts in Kentucky. So, I've spent a lot of time over the past year really mulling over what makes a GREAT doughnut. Here are the five Bluegrass State bakeries that made the cut.
5. Red's Donut Shop, Paducah. A local institution that sells only doughnuts. Locals will tell you that a Red's doughnut is like a fresh Krispy Kreme, only better. (Legend has it that Paducah is the birthplace of the Krispy Kreme, so these folks know what they're talking about!)
4. Doughdaddy's, Versailles. Fluffy doughnuts in more varieties than you can possibly imagine.
Nord's Bakery's Maple-Bacon doughnut is amazing.
3. Nord's Bakery, Louisville. You can't mention Kentucky doughnuts without discussing the magic doughnut at Nord's. Of course, you know the one I mean: the maple-bacon. It's possibly the world's most perfect food. Worth the drive over to campus/ Schnitzelberg. Go ahead and buy extras; somebody will want one.
Mural at Nord's Bakery.
2. Spalding's Bakery, Lexington. With a family tradition of fried doughnuts dating back to 1929, Spalding's makes Lexington's very favorite doughnuts. Remember to take cash, as Spalding's doesn't accept credit cards or checks. When you're that good, you don't have to.
1. Hi-Five Doughnuts, Louisville. I love Annie and Leslie, who run this amazing food truck, and I can't wait for their storefront to open! Their high-end, gourmet take on doughnuts is simply amazing, and their Maker's Mark caramel glaze is one of my favorite treats ever. Hands down, my favorite doughnuts ever.
Happy Doughnut Day, y'all! Who makes your favorite doughnut?