Portland’s NOLA Doughnuts goes out of business

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland donut shop NOLA Doughnuts — known for its square, croissant-style “La’ssant” donuts and classic beignets — suddenly and permanently shuttered all of its locations on Jan. 5.

“We are sorry to let everyone know that NOLA has closed all locations,” the business announced on Jan. 5. “The slow rebound from the pandemic and the current economic conditions have led to this unfortunate situation. We have enjoyed serving everyone our delicious New Orleans inspired treats over the years.”

Local siblings Robert Herkes and Connie DeMerell, along with their business partner Frank Halpin, opened the first NOLA Doughnuts location in Lake Oswego in 2015. The shop’s signature donuts, inspired by Herkes and DeMerell’s experiences growing up in New Orleans, caught on, and the business expanded, opening stores in Beaverton and the Pearl District.

NOLA Doughnuts went on to be celebrated as one of the best local donut shops in Portland. The store regularly offered an array of donut flavors, including chocolate ganache, Madagascar vanilla, honey, maple, lemon poppyseed, with or without raspberry jam; berry crumble, banana oat crumble, orange-grapefruit, vanilla with sprinkles, brown butter and apple fritter.

The announcement has drawn outcry from NOLA Doughnut fans wishing for one last chance to enjoy the local confections. The company also addressed customers on social media saying that all pending orders have been canceled and that refunds should be processed within the next few days.

“While we are sad it has come to an end, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to share our donuts and beignets with so many incredible people,” Herkes, DeMerell and Halpin said in a statement on the company’s social media accounts. “Thank you all for your support, and we wish you all the best in 2023 and beyond.”