BRUNSWICK, Oh— To say donuts are having a renaissance is something of an understatement.

It’s also a bit of a gourmand knock on those old-school shops that stay open 24 hours—where the coffee and donuts are always hot and the classic checkerboard-and-red décor is always cool.

Donut Land, 2023 winner of Cleveland.com / The Plain Dealer’s “Best Donuts in Greater Cleveland” readers’ poll is just such a place. It’s nothing short of a generational time warp.

This Brunswick institution has been punching out the classics and exuding Americana since the early 1970s in a venue that, from the outside, looks like any strip mall-esque exterior.

Once inside, however, it’s the kind of place you’d expect to roll up on along Route 66, the I-40, Pacific Coast Highway or Blue Ridge Parkway. Some might even say it has a certain “diner chic.”

But to say the shop and family running it is beloved is also something an understatement.

When the shop’s owner’s son Bill Rienerth, Jr. was abruptly taken in an auto accident three weeks ago, it left the family, community and the family-run business reeling. A mere 20 months earlier, Bill Rienerth, Sr. (a.k.a. “Mr. Bill”) who founded the shop had passed from a battle with cancer.

That left the business in the hands of (grand)daughter Amanda, who already had a career in assisting those with developmental disabilities and had agreed to step away from that path to run the 52-year-old business. It’s fair to say that the psychological load lately has been intense.

“It’s hard to talk about stuff,” Rienerth said tearfully.

In an interview with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, she expressed enormous gratitude for the community that has rallied and supported the shop and family through thick and thin.

“When my grandfather started, this was a standalone building—a former Tastee Freez ice cream and hot dog shop. Some years after they filled in the spot and made a plaza, but it all came together with love.”

Rienerth recalled an interview her grandfather had done in 2000 about the shop. The interviewer asked the question, “Why Brunswick?” Why? Because “Mr. Bill” knew exactly what he wanted to do.

“People around here told him, ‘Don’t waste your time. You know, a donut shop ain’t gonna last around here!’ And, here we are almost 52 years later,” said Reinerth with a sigh.

“Brunswick, they came through for us. They always have. They knew we’ve been hurting. Everyone here in town knows us and so they came out and showed us love and support after these losses. The community has been amazing through those,” Rienerth said, shaking her head and choking up.

“And then now on top of it, winning this contest? They really showed up for us.”

The (W)hole Truth

Much of what was been gleaned by “Mr. Bill” was gleaned during his time working for Mister Donut in Parma during his younger days. Amanda’s path, to some degree, followed suit in Brunswick.

“I started working here when I was a teenager,” said Rienerth, third generation donut torch carrier.

“I had pursued my own career for about 20 years or so and in 2019, my grandfather approached me because he was very sick of cancer,” she said.

“He said to me, ‘I was just wondering if you were interested in helping take over the shop. My doctor said I need to wrap up my affairs. I need to know if you’re interested, because if not, I’m probably gonna let go of it,’” Rienerth added. “And I couldn’t let the family business just go down like that.”

Today Amanda and her sister Ashley—who is developmentally disabled and something of an inspiration for Amanda’s early career—are the shops anchors.

Amanda is a six-days-a-week presence at Donut Land (“I finally had to take Mondays to regroup,” she said) with Ashley in on Sundays to help her sister and three dozen other employees.

Ashley takes care of miscellaneous affairs, builds donut boxes and connects with the many regulars who stop by—some of them who pop in two or three times a day.

“There’s Vance,” Rienerth said with a gesture.

“If he misses more than three or four days, we know to call and check on him,” she added. “That rarely happens, he’s here just about every single and multiple times a day. And there’s Richie. I shouldn’t tell you how long he’s been coming here.”

Richie gets his usual plain cake donuts and feeds the birds.

“A lot of [the regulars] have recently passed away because they’re all about my grandfather’s age,” said Rienerth. “They’re all getting to that point, unfortunately.”

Time to Get That Dough

The thing that brings (and brings back) regulars to Donut Land’s door are the classic recipes that harken back to childhood. Memories of family, weekend mornings and traditions are a big part of what has helped the shop endure. Having seemingly bottomless pots of fresh coffee doesn’t hurt, either.

Rienerth and the familial staff work in three shifts cranking out warm, delicate, baked-fresh-daily goods and homestyle donuts in the same way every single day.

“Nothing has changed, apart from upgrading the cinnamon roll filling. the same, the same way,” said Rienerth. “All the dough is made the same. All our fillings are the same. Our creams are homemade in the shop—strawberry cream and peanut butter cream, all of them.”

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She estimates that the shop knocks out about “800 dozen donuts a day,” and each donut is handmade by a single baker. Marci Steinke, lead baker, is a longtime baker that has been with the shop for over 35 years. The store always has some 40-50 varieties on hand—ranging from high-demand items like glazed and cake sour cream donuts, to cake donuts, “fancies,” cinnamon rolls, cream sticks and more.

All the glazes and cream fillings “are made in-house,” and people come from as far away as California and South Carolina to taste the sweet treats. Donut Land donuts have also “made their way overseas” and Rienerth has the photo evidence to prove it.

Donut Land also offers a wide range of other adjuncts for customers. They can accommodate special orders with 24-hour advance notice for nut rolls, poppyseed rolls, strudels and large orders.

They also endeavor breakfast and dessert catering “for parties of all size,” and make what can only be referred to as “giant donut cakes.” The latter were a favorite of “Mr. Bill” and range in incremental sizes from ten-to-sixteen inches, perfect for donut lovers’ birthdays, anniversaries and more.

Those also require 24-hours’ notice. They don’t take orders through social media or email, in keeping with the absolutely old-school vibes Donut Land maintains.

Feeling Jelly?

The 500+ five-star reviews Donut Land has during their tenure boils down to simplicity, maintaining original recipes and preparations and one other critical ingredient: person-to-person connection.

“We’ve got all the classics: apple fritters, cinnamon rolls, donut cakes, hot cross buns, nut and poppy seed rolls, strawberry, cherry, and blueberry cheese strudels, creme subs, Italian Banias, donut holes, peanut butter bars, and more,’ Rienerth said.

But the secret ingredient is most definitely familial, relational, interpersonal—and that’s something that can’t be handed down on a piece of paper, index card or cookbook binder with a recipe scratched on it.

“Grandpa did not teach me how to bake when I was younger, because he wanted me to pursue my dreams and be a caregiver, which I did,” said Rienerth.

What he did teach her was connecting, relating, listening.

“I didn’t even learn how to bake until 2019, when he brought me in. And just being here and seeing how much the community supported my grandpa, that’s really given me the passion he had. I wouldn’t change that for the world,” she added.

“I live, eat, sleep, and bleed Donut Land all day, every day. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Donut Land 1321 Pearl Rd., Brunswick. 330-225-7912. donutlandohio.com.