In 2009, Clare City Bakery, one of the oldest bakeries in Clare, Mich., was teetering on the edge of collapse.
That’s when a group of doughnut-loving cops, who were among the bakery’s most loyal customers, stepped in to save it.
The officers pooled their money together, purchased the struggling small business and renamed it Cops & Doughnuts.
“We’re going to put 350,000 people through this bakery this year,” said Officer Brian Gregory, who manages the shop’s finances, “and that’s huge for this city.”
While some officers fret over the stereotype of law enforcement flocking to doughnut shops, Clare City cops embrace it.
“Years ago when they didn’t have actual patrol cars out there, they had the old foot-beat cop and the only things that were open at that time of the morning were the bakeries,” Gregory said. “That’s how it all began,” he added, referring to the long-time love affair between officers and the sugary confections.
In less than four years, the business has grown to employ more than 35 workers, including officers (when they’re off-duty), though none of the cops take a paycheck, Fox News reported.
Cops & Doughnuts’ treats include The Deputy, a cream-filled long john with peanut butter and chocolate frosting and The Squealer, which has maple frosting and two strips of bacon.
“We don’t look at this as a bakery,” Gregory noted. “It’s an event for people to come in and see some of the memorabilia we put in here.”