444 Chicago Ridge Mall #651The original reason for us taking a weekend in Chicago came to an end when I got home Saturday night. Sunday morning, we had to start planning for the reason the weekend was extended. We had a death in the family and would be staying in Chicago through the middle of the week for the services.
We knew before we left we were going to be a couple of extra days so we brought church clothes with us. I always need new shirts because I beat the heck out of button down dress shirts when I wear them for work. B needed a whole new outfit because it’s been a while since we’ve had to dress up and both kids needed dressier shoes.
We figured we could knock all of this shopping out at the Chicago Ridge Mall. We hit Kohls for my shirts then Crazy 8 and Carson’s for B’s stuff. I then ran to the car to drop off bags and to grab something we had forgot. While I did that, J got the kids a treat.
Right next to the Kohls is a small shop called Mini Donut Factory. It’s in the southwest wing of the Chicago Ridge Mall right next to a Wetzel’s Pretzels.
Mini Donut Factory has been around since 2008 when they opened up in Gurnee Mills. If you’re not familiar with Chicagoland, Gurnee Mills is Chicago’s answer to Mall of America. It’s not quite as big, but it’s the same kind of supersized indoor shopping center people drive hours to get to.
This store in Chicago Ridge opened in 2015. They have also opened a shop in the city in Norridge at the Harlem Irving Plaza or HIP as it’s called locally.
The idea behind Mini Donut Factory is simple. Mini donuts are made fresh then finished in front of the customer who chooses from a list of different toppings. The donuts came in a bag of a dozen and the price is determined by what you choose as the topping.
J did an order of the Classic Dozen and did Cinnamon & Sugar as the topping. She also got a couple of Slush Ice’s for the kids. The cost came out to just a little over $17.
By the time I got back in the mall, J was sitting with the kids at a table in the common area eating the donuts. I reached in to the bag when I got there and found a soft, warm, bite size donut with a generous coating of the cinnamon and sugar. I’m pretty sure I ended up eating seven or eight of the donuts. The kids were really into the Slush Ice’s and B found the donuts too hot so it was a while before he went back.
Mini Donut Factory is a cool alternative to the usual mall food. It’s still bite size and easy to eat while walking but it’s not a pretzel, a cookie, or popcorn which seems to be the typical mall snacks.