Here’s your first look at Bright Spot Donuts, the sweet sequel to Benchwarmers Bagels
Bright Spot Donuts, the tiny doughnut shop from the makers of Benchwarmers Bagels, is nearly ready to open in Raleigh.
Like Benchwarmers, Bright Spot is a partnership between the owners of Boulted Bread, Josh Bellamy and Sam Kirkpatrick, and Jubala Coffee owner Andrew Cash. Benchwarmers chef John Knox and former general manager Sarah Millsaps are also owners.
Kirkpatrick said Bright Spot looks to open this spring, depending on a few remaining hires, possibly within three to six weeks. The shop is at 1501 Sunrise Ave., near Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood.
“We feel so good about the doughnuts, galettes and coffee,” Kirkpatrick said. “The menu is there, we can’t wait to show it off.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the much-anticipated doughnut shop.
The power of three
The doughnuts at Bright Spot are inspired by a holy triumvirate of beloved North Carolina doughnuts. They pay homage to Krispy Kreme, the beachside destination of Britt’s Donuts and the sourdough version from Asheville’s Hole Doughnuts.
But Bellamy said Bright Spot’s version doesn’t aim to be the sweet ring that rules them all, just a sugary ode to all the great doughnuts out there.
“We’re all from North Carolina and have all had similar (doughnut) experience,” Bellamy said. “We’re just trying to stand on the shoulders of giants of great North Carolina doughnuts.”
The Carolina Doughnut
Bright Spot calls its creation The Carolina Doughnut. Unlike when Benchwarmers set out to create a different kind of bagel, one using freshly-milled grains and two-day fermentation, Bellamy said doughnuts weren’t really on his radar. Years ago, he had messed around and made some doughnuts at Boulted, but they never made it to the menu and that seemed to be that.
“When the crew was like ‘Let’s open a doughnut shop,’ it was a little intimidating,” Bellamy said. “I had ate a lot of doughnuts and had a strong fondness for them, but it wasn’t something that was immediately obvious to me. Like, what does my ideal doughnut look and taste like?”
Double dough
There will be two different kinds of doughnut doughs at Bright Spot. One will be a slowly-fermented overnight dough, creating a sturdier, chewier doughnut. That dough is destined for filled doughnuts, coming with flavors like classic pastry creme and seasonal fillings concocted by Knox.
The other is a quickly made same day dough, meant for airy, light glazed doughnuts, Bright Spot’s version of the classic yeast doughnut. The flavors will be plain and chocolate glaze and one dusted in sugar.
Not doughnuts
In addition to the doughnuts, Bright Spot will serve a variety of galette, a rustic, open face tart. There will be sweet and savory galettes, leaning into seasonality and the creative whims of Knox, Bellamy said.
On the savory side, look for galette versions of Croque Monsieur and its egg-topped twin, Croque Madame.
“It’s something for the people looking for a little more filling breakfast-oriented option,” Kirkpatrick said.
That dough will be kind of a blitz puff pastry, Bellamy said.
“It’s in the family of a savory handpie,” Bellamy said of the galettes. “John will sort of riff on seasonal fillings.”
Similar to Benchwarmers, Bright Spot will serve a Jubala-worthy coffee program. There won’t be pourovers, but look for quality drip coffee and a full espresso menu.
The shop
Bright Spot itself is only 800 square feet, with most of that taken up by kitchen equipment, including a mixing station and fryer, and a counter with an espresso machine. Freshly-dipped glazed doughnuts will hang on rods, letting gravity decide how much glaze is too much.
The shades of green and gray were taken from the faded paint left on the walls from the building’s previous lives, living on new as a their own bright spots of color.
Sweet celebrations
The only seating will be two outdoor patios, one shared with The Junction at Five Points and one still under construction outside Bright Spot. The doughnut shop is at the end of Sunrise Avenue, by the railroad tracks, with a view looking out on the Raleigh skyline. And where there’s a cul-de-sac, the universe demands a basketball hoop, something Bright Spot plans to have as well.
Kirkpatrick said he hopes Bright Spot will be a place of sweet celebrations for the Five Points neighborhood, moments that have sometimes felt in short supply over the past couple of years.
“A doughnut might be more celebratory, which is something we’re trying to capture in the shop,” Kirkpatrick said. “It was kind of tough there for a while to stay optimistic. With where we are in the whole thing now, maybe we can celebrate celebration. You’re rarely eating a doughnut for no reason, it’s usually marking an occasion.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 10:32 AM.
