Southern Maid Donuts facts for kids
Southern Maid Donuts is a popular chain of donut shops. It started in Garland, Texas. These shops sell over 30 different kinds of delicious donuts! You can find more than 100 Southern Maid locations today. Most are in the southern parts of the United States, but some are even as far west as California. A very famous singer, Elvis Presley, even recorded a special song for the company in 1954. This was the only product Elvis ever officially supported!
What Are Southern Maid Donuts?
Southern Maid Donuts is a company that sells donuts through many different stores. These stores are called "franchises." This means that other people can open a Southern Maid Donut shop using the company's name and recipes. It's like a big family of donut shops all working together.
How It All Started
The company was created by Rosalee and John B. Hargrove. They were very clever! They made their own special donut flour. They also designed machines to mix the dough and cut out the donuts perfectly. Their son, Lon Hargrove, is still in charge of the Southern Maid Donut Flour Company today.
The Hargroves opened their very first donut shop in Houston, Texas, in 1937. A few years later, in March 1941, Bruce and Dannie Jones opened the first franchised store. This shop was in Shreveport, Louisiana. It's amazing, but that same store is still run by the Jones family even now!
A Special Dog and a Famous Singer
In the 1950s, the Jones family, who ran the Shreveport store, helped sponsor a TV show. It was called "Search for Talent" and aired on KTBS Channel 3. During this time, Southern Maid Donuts had a very cute commercial. It featured Dannie Jones's tiny white poodle, named "Miss Merry Mary." This little dog wore a bonnet and pushed a carriage full of Southern Maid Donuts!
A picture of "Miss Merry Mary" became a special company logo. You can still see her picture on Southern Maid donut boxes today. It's a fun reminder of the company's long history and its connection to a beloved pet.
