BETTENDORF, Iowa -- A new donut shop in the Quad Cities literally had people camped outside the doors in tents the night before it opened.
Hurts Donuts Company finally opened on Dec. 19 after years of rumors and deliberation. It's the company's third store in Iowa following locations in Coralville and West Des Moines. This opening also marks the company's twentieth store sprinkled throughout the country with five more on the way.
Fans were camped outside starting as early as 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18 in anticipation for the opening at 5 a.m. the following morning. A Facebook post by the company said the first 100 people in the doors would get entered in a drawing for free donuts for a year.
The post also said T-shirts would be awarded to first camper and best camp setup. The shirts could then be used as a coupon to buy one and get one free.
"Getting the doors open today is a big accomplishment and we're really excited about it," Co-owner Kyle Howard said. "The Quad Cities have always been big supporters of us in Coralville."
This move has been a long time in the making. In 2016, owners confirmed a Quad Cities location was on their radar, but they wouldn't say when or where.
"We've been actually working on it for a couple years now," Howard said.
The company is also still hiring. People can get an application at the register in the store, located at the corner of Forest Grove Drive and Middle Road in Bettendorf.
