Just Open: Doughnut Time, Fortitude Valley

Fortitude Valley is on a sugar high. Before it even opened on Thursday, hospitality entrepeneur Damien Griffiths' new venture, Doughnut Time, had a line of eager sweet-tooths eagerly waiting. By mid afternoon it was all over, with more than 1000 doughnuts sold.

Griffiths, who owns a good part of the Alfred and Constance strip in Fortitude Valley including Limes Hotel, Kwan Brothers, Alfredo's, Alfred and Constance, and Chester Street Kitchen, said the inspiration for his hole-in-the-wall doughnut operation came on a recent trip to the United States.

"I was in Chicago and saw this amazing line-up of people waiting. Intrigued, I joined them and once I got inside I realised they were lining up for doughnuts. I thought it was really cool. We'd been making doughnuts at Chester Street for about a year and they always sold really well. I'd often thought that the little nook at the front of Alfredo's would be great for something like this, so it all fell into place."

Griffiths said they had had to restrict hungry doughnut lovers to a single doughnut per person on Thursday. Today, they are able to buy a box of six. "We've got it together a bit today – we really had no expectation of how they were going to sell, but it was nuts."

The doughnuts come in nine flavours and sell for $6 for glazed and $5 for unglazed. They are handmade and hand-dipped rather than being made by machine and have no preservatives.

"Doughnuts are best eaten very fresh and two hours is about the maximum, so we make them every two hours and bring them up here from Chester Street, " Griffiths says.

"Because they're handmade there's a limit to how many we can make. Once they're sold out, that's it."

Best selling flavours so far have been salted caramel and maple-bacon. Future plans for Doughnut Time include a delivery service.

Open Mon-Sat from 8am; Sun from 9am.

Doughnut Time, 39 Alfred Street, Fortitude Valley