Donut has spun for last time: DeAngelis Donuts has closed last site
ROCHESTER ― There's a hole in the heart of doughnut fans locally.
DeAngelis Donuts dropped a bombshell late Friday morning, June 14: After 77 years of business, the popular Rochester donut shop has closed permanently.
"Our last day will be June 16," DeAngelis Donuts announced on its Facebook page. "So, stop in and grab one last DeAngelis Donut."
The post thanked customers for their support.
Richard “Dick” DeAngelis, owner of DeAngelis Donut Shop, died June 13 at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, according to an obituary published in The Times.
A person who answered the shop's phone Friday afternoon said the DeAngelis family decided not to continue business operations.
With its iconic spinning donut sign towering above the Rhode Island Avenue shop near the Rochester-Monaca Bridge, DeAngelis Donuts has been a landmark for generations.
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Opening in 1947 in Beaver Falls, original owner Joseph DeAngelis quickly coined the phrase "Delightfully Different" and hoped that legacy would continue on, the shop's website said. He also said, "DeAngelis is home of the all-vegetable donut" because many other donut makers used lard for frying at the time, whereas DeAngelis fried his donuts in vegetable oil.
In 1975, Richard and Thomas DeAngelis opened up DeAngelis Brothers donuts in Rochester. Joseph operated the Beaver Falls location until his death in 1977, then Mary Lou DeAngelis operated that store until 1980. At this point, Richard and Thomas DeAngelis took over both locations under the name DeAngelis Donuts.
In 1985, DeAngelis Donuts opened a Chippewa Township store.
The Beaver Falls location was closed in 2003 and the Chippewa location closed in 2013, leaving the Rochester location the remaining DeAngelis store.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: After 77 years, DeAngelis Donuts is no more
