The Doughboys story.
Our name goes back more than a hundred years. The donuts are made fresh every morning in Raytown, MO for the greater Kansas City metro.
A donut, a soldier, and a name that stuck.
In the First World War, American soldiers were nicknamed doughboys. Far from home and living on field rations, they were handed something warm and familiar by the Salvation Army volunteers who followed them to France in 1917.
Those volunteers fried donuts in the field, sometimes in a soldier's helmet, and served them by the thousand. They became known as the Doughnut Lassies. National Donut Day still honors the work they did for the doughboys a century ago.
That is where we take our name from, and we are proud of it. Doughboys Donuts is a veteran and first responder friendly shop, and we are glad to say so.
Family owned, local, and still made by hand.
Doughboys Donuts has served the Raytown community for 17 years as a family owned business. When the former owners, Marjain and Elisa Breitenbach, decided it was time to retire, they sold it to our family, Daniel and Michele Pearl, in March of 2024, and we kept everything that made it a neighborhood favorite.
We mix our dough, cut the donuts by hand, flip them in the fryer, and finish each one with glaze or icing. There is not a single conveyor belt or automated machine in our shop. Because of that you might spot a wonky-looking artisan donut here and there, but that also means you can pick out the exact donut you want to take home.
We are a family owned and operated local business, and a member of the Raytown Chamber of Commerce. We serve Raytown, Independence, Kansas City, Lee's Summit, and the greater Kansas City metro.
Serving blessings by the dozen.
Make every donut by hand, cook breakfast to order, and send people home a little happier than they came in. That is the whole idea, and it has not changed since the day we took over the shop.
"You won't find a single conveyor belt or automated machine in our shop."
We mix our dough, cut the donuts by hand, flip them in the fryer, and finish with glaze or icing. That is the Doughboys difference.
We do hot breakfast, cooked to order.
We take the same care with the breakfast items we create. We crack eggs, cut vegetables, make gravy, bake biscuits, and deep-fry potatoes with an eye to freshness and quality.
Coffee is the perfect companion to donuts, and we have been growing that side of the business too. We serve classic drip coffee by the cup or by the pot, hot, iced, flavored and otherwise, alongside a full espresso bar.
Where you may have seen us.
Under the previous owners, Doughboys was a fixture in Kansas City food coverage, with a long run of features and awards. The list below reflects their history, and the beginnings of ours as new owners in March 2024. We have been honored to be taught by them and plan to continue that tradition of excellence for many years to come.
Pitch
Best of Kansas City, Best Doughnuts, 2015 and 2017.
KMBC News9
Named among Kansas City's 5 Best Donut Shops.
Flatland
Featured in Order Up: Doughboys Iced Donuts.
KC Food Guys
Featured in KC It's Time to Eat the Donuts.
Nextdoor
Neighborhood Favorite, 2017.
Yelp
People Love Doughboys Donuts, 2018.
Macaroni Kid
Gold Daisy Award, Best Kept Secret, 2018.
FOX4 Morning News
Kathy Quinn of FOX4 Morning News, the top rated morning show in Kansas City, came to the shop for National Donut Day on June 5, 2026. Our first news crew since taking over.
Our first news crew, June 5, 2026.
The National World War I Museum and Memorial asked us to partner with them for National Donut Day in 2025 and again in 2026, which was an honor. In 2026 we reached out to the Salvation Army of Kansas and Western Missouri to collaborate with us and the museum. It went well, and we look forward to working with both of them again.
The Salvation Army sent a news release to a local news station, and the station sent a crew to the shop. That made June 5, 2026 the first National Donut Day in our two years here with cameras in the dining room. The interviews they put together are below.
Thank you to Kathy Quinn of FOX4 Morning News for coming to Doughboys Donuts for National Donut Day, June 5, 2026!
Our National Donut Day interviews, June 5, 2026.
Awards and honors.
Best Filled Long Johns in Kansas City
disKCovery Fountain City Superlatives, Donut Edition, 2025
"Available with a multitude of cream and jelly fillings, the filled Long Johns from Doughboy's are the metro's best!"Read the article on kcdiscovery.com
Pitch Best of Kansas City, Best Doughnuts (2015)
Pitch Best of Kansas City, Best Doughnuts (2017)
Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite (2017)
KMBC News9, Kansas City's 5 Best Donut Shops
10 Best Doughnut Shops in Missouri
Top 10 Restaurants in Raytown
Yelp, 2018 Best Kept Secret
Macaroni Kid Gold Daisy Award (2018)
KC Food Guys, KC It's Time to Eat the Donuts
Flatland, Order Up: Doughboys Iced Donuts
Come see why Raytown loves us.
Enjoy your donuts, coffee, and breakfast in our large family-friendly dining room. Stay a few minutes or visit a while longer. You are always welcome.