One doughnut shop devours the competition

You have a passion for doughnuts.

We got a big response to our latest poll, which asked who makes Snohomish County’s best doughnuts. Karl’s, Frost, Oosterwyk’s and Tyler’s all had their share of supporters. In the end, though, it wasn’t close. With 48 percent of the vote, Henry’s ran away from the field like American Pharoah at the Belmont Stakes.

What could make one doughnut rise above the rest? Is Henry’s using some magic formula? Some secret, illicit ingredient?

It seemed like the only responsible thing would be to investigate. This is, after all, why I got that journalism degree.

I went on a fact-finding mission to the shop on Broadway in Everett. The doughnuts were soft and fresh and good, of course. How could they not be? They’re doughnuts. Fried bread and sugar. The real question is, of all the doughnut shops in all the land, why this one?

The answer might be familiarity. There are five Henry’s dotting Snohomish County while the others on the list are one- or two-store operations.

The Henry’s on Broadway does stand out from the crowd. With its big parking lot and walk-up window, it looks like a drive-in burger joint from another era rather than just another storefront in a strip mall.

Maybe it’s what the place represents. Bygone days when mom-and-pop businesses lined the streets downtown, before the franchises and mega-stores moved in.

Or maybe it’s just the fried bread and sugar.

— Doug Parry, Herald Web editor

For our next poll, we want to know how far you think a high school diploma will take you:

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