Glazed & Infused Doughnuts Lands Under Brown Line

Brown Line riders will soon be able to jumpstart their mornings with a maple bacon, egg nog-bourbon or Crème brûlée doughnut, thanks to a new shop set to open its doors later this month. 

The increasingly popular three-location chain, Glazed & Infused, boasts a dozen different doughnut varieties made fresh every morning. Its fourth store at 939 W. Armitage Ave. in Lincoln Park should open within about two weeks and store manager James Gray said Tuesday that the shop is far from the last. 

"As of right now, what I know is that there's not a Lake View store in the works, but I wont say that that's not a possibility," said Gray, who manages all three existing Glazed & Infused stores. "We are expanding rather rapidly and we're looking at a lot of different markets around the city. We know there's a demand there and I wouldn't be surprised if Lake View had a store very soon." 

He says store owners plan to maximize the opportunity to sell treats to commuters at the pending Armitage Avenue store, particularly because it's in a "high density neighborhood" not unlike Lake View.

Let Patch save you time. Get more local stories like these delivered right to your inbox or smartphone with our free newsletter. Fast signup here.

In anticipation of this month's opening, the Brown Line location will be handing out 1,000 free doughnuts at 7 a.m. this Friday, Dec. 7. Once it opens, Intelligentsia Coffee will be a fixture on the menu, though Gray says the store is considering other local roasters, too.

Although doughnuts are traditionally considered a breakfast food, Gray says Glazed & Infused is embracing the trend of the pastries becoming more of a dessert or treat, similar to a cupcake. 

With seating for about 20 people, the Armitage branch will be large enough to host doughnut decorating parties and other private events, he says, and will remain open later than any existing site—from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every week day and from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends.

Though there are small changes in each of the stores—an open kitchen setting in the Fulton Market shop that allows customers to watch the food prep and glazing processes, for example—doughnut lovers can expect the same Glazed & Infused details in each branch.

"The goal is to keep all of the branding of the stores consistent," Gray said. "When you walk into this location, you're going to realize that it's a Glazed & Infused. There are distinct similarities and each location features the brand's core elements." 

Under the Francesca’s Restaurants umbrella, Glazed & Infused's mouth-watering recipes are primarily the vision of executive chef Tom Culleeney, a Chicago area native who has traveled throughout the U.S. in search of the perfect doughnut, according to the business' website.

"I become a kid when it comes to doughnuts," he says, according to his biography. "… I admit it—I’m the quintessential doughnut lover. … I may have become sophisticated about how to make a great doughnut, but I’m just a kid at heart when I taste one.”

Amidst ever-changing doughnut varieties that currently include salted caramel crunch, chocolate chip cookie and mint chocolate cake, it can be hard to pick a favorite. That is, unless you're Gray.

"Everyone always asks me," he said Tuesday, with a laugh. "I really love all of them. But I'll be honest. I'm a real basic, sort of traditional guy. I really go for the vanilla bean glazed."

Follow us on Facebook!