One Daytona first opened itself to the public in December of 2017. NASCAR had developed the area in hopes of providing more than just the speedway to visiting race fans. In fact, the original idea for One Daytona came from the founder of NASCAR’s granddaughter, Lesa France Kennedy, acting CEO of the International Speedway Corporation. Marriott built a hotel, the Daytona, and over time many businesses began to call the budding space home. Bass Pro Shops and PF Chang’s dominate the entryway off International Speedway, and CMX Cinemas looms at the end of Legends Lane (what a name!) like a temple of entertainment. In the Southeastern corner of the One Daytona lot, there is a small plaza, home to some popular spots like Crumbl Cookie and Plato’s Closet. Some people might even be surprised to learn this lot is part of One Daytona; it bears almost no resemblance to the main One Daytona scene, where the buildings are freshly painted. This little plaza is a monotone grey, and chances are if you didn’t plan on going there, you would never pull in.
It is precisely the otherwise forgettable nature of this corner lot that might prove advantageous to its most recent inhabitant, Pink Fryday. A place like Pink Fryday, which I can’t quite decide whether to call an experience or a restaurant, would have to have some real excitement to it to bring out the foot traffic. And boy let me tell you, it is not lacking in that department.
Entering Pink Fryday for the first time might have caused 10-year-old me to pass out from disbelief. Donuts are everywhere, literally. They’re on the walls as decor, on the TV menus behind the counter, and centerstage in the building is the casing where you can grab any donut you’d like. It wasn’t until I had already grabbed about 3 donuts with my hands that I realized they intend you to use the little pink tongs they had supplied.
Not only are there donuts all around, but the color inside the store would probably give the color outside of the store a heart attack. It is bright, it is vibrant, it is energetic, and it is so very pink. To the right of the entryway is a beautiful artificial tree with pink leaves, which protrudes from a roundtable that can sit around 8 or so. Pink highlights the walls on every side; pink can even be found on the charming sweets-designed seats for the tables. A personified boba cup stands happily in the northeast corner of the store, spilling out brightly colored bubbles. I think I counted every color of the rainbow in there.
One thing I found surprising was the culturally relevant playlist. From Mac Demarco to the Beatles to Sabrina Carpenter, clearly Pink Fryday knows what’s in style in the Spotify menu too. But what does music and design matter if not for the food? Well, it’s par for the course.
The main attraction is of course the donuts. Every type you can think of Pink Fryday can supply. Creme Brulé, Dubai chocolate, Oreo, raspberry cream, peanut butter and chocolate- I could go on forever. Not just regular donuts either; they offer a mirror selection in their unique mochi donuts, of which the owner acquired a special recipe from China to make. The mochi differs from the original donuts less in taste, but more in texture. It is a smoother ride for the mochis, more chewy, and easy to savor, you relish every chew.
But its not just donuts at Pink Fryday, its donuts and fried chicken. While an unexpected pair, not an unwelcome one. The fried chicken comes out crispy and tender, and hot as you would expect from something freshly cooked. I’ll be honest with you, the chicken was good, but there was nothing to write home about for me. My colleagues told me they loved it, though. In fact, freshness is one of the shining virtues of Pink Fryday. Quingni Liu, the head of marketing for Pink Fryday, informed me that a special team arrives at three o’clock in the morning to begin preparing the doughnuts, and the icing and design doesn’t make its way on until another team comes just before 8am. If that isn’t fresh, I don’t know what is.
The chicken is complemented by their choice of sauces as well. Ranch, BBQ, and their signature “Pink Bomb,” which blew me out of the water. It balances both sweet and spicy in a way that didn’t leave me feeling as if one outweighed the other, and instead of overpowering the tastebuds, it was like a sidekick to the delightful flavory tenders. At first the chicken is crunchy, and the breading is very pronounced. But the juicy and flavorful meaty interior progressively grows in stature, ending with a perfect combination of crunch, savor, and tenderness.
Quingni expressed concern to me that the chicken and other entrees might be overlooked due to the donuts, and customers don’t feel as if they can eat both in the same meal. It is a valid concern, as the menu can seem very one or the other, and the larger size of the donuts is difficult to pair with a full-on entree and sides. But this versatility of menu can work to draw a larger range of customers, those just looking for a sweet treat, and those who are looking to sit down and have a meal, whether that be fried chicken or their new Korean BBQ bowl, Pink Fryday is home to a variety of appetites.
For the Falcons and other college students in the area, Pink Fryday offers a 10% off student discount, which comes in handy after you start stacking those donuts.
While they may have a vision that the fullness of their menu can be experienced in one go, I’ll admit that might be a difficult task. Instead, they ought to stick to their strengths, which is this vast menu of theirs. Just as their next-door neighbor, Crumbl gets you back time and time again by keeping a revolving door of cookies, Pink Fryday can look to do something similar. Offering a changing selection of donuts, a new and expanding lunch menu, and different combinations of Boba teas and dirty sodas is enough to give anyone ample reason to make return trips. The key to success might just be the same as their menu. Keep it new, keep it bright, and keep it fun.