UPDATE: NoFoDoCo is back! On Tuesday, September 6, North Fork Doughnut Company (aka NoFoDoCo) owner James Lyons confirmed that after weeks of closure due to a fire in the building where they bake their products off-site — despite the fire not actually affecting their space or equipment — the popular doughnut shop has a new temporary kitchen and will reopen both their Mattituck and Bay Shore locations this Friday, September 9.
ORGINAL STORY:
The owner of North Fork Doughnut Company, aka NoFoDoCo, shared a message with fans of his popular Mattituck and Bay Shore doughnut shops on Wednesday to dispel rumors about a supposed kitchen explosion that forced them to close their doors for nearly four weeks (since August 11), and to let people know the shops will be back in business next week.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of things out there on Instagram on Facebook and even from people in the neighborhood saying there was a kitchen explosion, our kitchen exploded and we’re not going to open our stores again,” James Lyons, who owns NoFoDoCo with his wife Kelly Lyons, explained in the Instagram Story video, adding, “None of that happened.”
According to Lyons, there was indeed a gas explosion in the facility where they make all their doughnuts, which is separate from their stores, but it occurred on the opposite end of the building.
“We didn’t even know it happened, to be honest with you. It didn’t affect any of our equipment, any of our kitchen or any of our staff at all. It did affect a lot of other business though,” the business owner continued.
“We don’t even use gas in our kitchen at all, there’s not even a gas hookup that goes to our kitchen,” Lyons told Dan’s Papers in a phone call later on Wednesday, noting that their landlord, Stony Brook University, which rents out space to NoFoDoCo and other businesses in the building, had to shut down the entire premises as a safety measure while they performed various inspections and tests.
“So that’s why we’ve been shut down for so long,” Lyons said. “Our equipment is fine, our staff is fine, even our space is completely fine and untouched — we just can’t get in the freaking building, that’s the issue that we’re dealing with right now,” he added, though they now have a solution.
“You know, we have options. We could get a new facility, we could move our equipment. We haven’t done any of that because Stony Brook has been telling us that they’re going to be open a day from now, two days from now,” Lyons pointed out before revealing that things have changed.
“Finally, as of three or four days ago, they were like, ‘You know what? We don’t know what the hell’s going on, we can’t give you a definite time, so maybe try to find other accommodations.’ So we did,” he said.
NoFoDoCo Back in Business
“That was the first time since this happened that we were like, ‘All right, let’s go find other accommodations.’ That’s what we did. We figured it out, and now we’re able to get our doors open in a few days,” Lyons shared, noting that they’ve found a temporary kitchen (at an undisclosed location) and he expects everything to be up and running by next Tuesday or Wednesday, September 6 or 7.
In his Instagram video, the NoFoDoCo owner said he was so grateful and moved by the public’s support during this speed bump in an otherwise meteoric rise for the business which opened in 2018. That help came from customers who spent money on items that don’t require a kitchen to make or sell.
“Thank you all so much for all the love and support so far, and everything you guys have done for us, for the continued support, for the merchandise you guys have been purchasing, for the gift cards — all of it,” he told his more than 39,000 @nofodoco Instagram followers. “We can’t thank you enough.”
Lyons also hinted at some special goodies to celebrate their return. “…we’re going to be better than ever, we have some really great surprises for you. We’ve been working on an incredible opening menu for next week, so please hold on. Next week, look out for us,” he said.
Visit nofodoco.com for more info.
