One of, if not, the most iconic Shipley Do-Nuts locations in Houston just got an upgrade. The legendary donut store off Ella Boulevard just north of the Houston Heights is now sporting a drive-thru lane.
If you’ve driven by the 3410 Ella Blvd. address, you’ll have no doubt seen the old-school “Shipley’s” signage on the lot. And depending on the time of day, you probably have also seen the line of cars that stretch out from the donut shop and onto the busy street.
It’s for good reason: The Ella Shipley has steadily fostered a reputation for always fresh-and-hot glazed donuts and a generous heaping of donut holes in every bag. It’s the one Shipley that everyone typically swears by and drives to versus the chain’s other 70-something locations in town (to be fair, the Shipley near my house is also pretty generous about providing fresh donuts).
According to Shipley representatives, the store added a drive-thru lane March 20 to “better serve guests and improve traffic flow around the shop.”
“To make the upgrade, the shop leased an adjacent property with a connected parking lot that has more room for cars in line,” Shipley Do-Nuts’ statement to Chron read. “It’s already made a big difference for our guests and we look forward to serving them soon.”
Of course, now, that means the next generation will never know the uphill climb the old-timers had to make by staying in the left lane.
Shipley is currently selling “Cougar Paws” as part of its March Madness promotion for the University of Houston. The “sweet pastry dusted with cinnamon, fried to a crisp golden brown and dipped in Shipley’s signature vanilla glaze” is available at select stores for as long as UH remains in the tournament.