Donuts For Change: The Other Side Donuts

Walking into The Other Side Donuts, one is greeted with walls of every color, encouraging motifs and toys that make you want to be a kid again. The remnants of a party can be seen bobbing around the ceiling in the form of birthday balloons, and cloud pop-outs glow softly from the ceiling. Customers have written their dreams on slips of paper and posted them up on a wall amongst iridescent streamers. A long case of donuts is displayed like an interactive museum where each section of flavors is its own miniature kingdom of frosting, glaze, fruit and candy.

This novelty donut shop is a non-profit social enterprise: All of the funds go directly into supporting the operations at The Other Side Village — a gated living community that neighbors the donut shop. The Other Side Village is a place where people who have struggled with chronic homelessness have learned life skills, become stabilized and been accepted into a community through dedication to personal growth. Other social enterprises like the donut shop include The Other Side Movers, The Other Side Thrift Boutique and The Other Side Builders.

“The model, at its simplest, is you practice being a good person long enough that you become who you are.”

This donut shop, which has enough to satisfy the eyes and stomach of any adult or child, is run by people who have built their new lives around transparency, teamwork and self-improvement. Along with navigating the production of these donuts, the staff also navigate their own relationships with one another in weekly group meetings.

“We’ve been able to accomplish all these amazing things — people want a purpose in life. The thing that gets us out of bed isn’t the donuts themselves, it’s the mission,” Smith says.


They stand out with their exceptional customer service — the staff is eager to hand out samples and share a bit about The Other Side’s mission — and they fill their donuts to the brim.

The shop is a 24-hour operation, with a team that works from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., coming up with most of the new flavors and keeping up with a rotating repertoire of around 45 that sit in the case at any given time. When asked what his personal favorite is, Smith answers the Peanut Butter Cups flavor, though the crowd favorite tends to be the 24k Maple Bacon.

For any donut lover, there is a niche flavor waiting to be discovered in their donut case. This year, The Other Side Donuts attended the Utah Dough Show and swept the competition with three major awards of Best Booth, Most Creative Donut and Crowd Favorite. They recently sent their production manager to attend the Park City Culinary Institute, an example of the empowerment and growth that is possible within this framework.

While a close relationship with Marriott inspired their rentable donut wall, they also host birthday parties and have a food truck. In May they sold their donuts in the VIP section of Kilby Block Party, and this fall, they are partnering with Fear Factory through themed donut boxes available to comfort frightened crowds! More exciting ventures this month include the opening of a second location at 579 E 100 S in downtown Salt Lake, which will offer espresso drinks alongside donuts, as well as a shop at the brand-new Trailhead Residence Hall at the University of Utah, which will offer savory bites for students on campus.

The Other Side Donuts will be tabling at the DIY Festival and will be packed with flavors and energy. Look for a pink booth with an assortment of mini-donuts. Remember: every donut sold supports folks who are striving to become better day by day; each bite is an example of how dreams can become reality.

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