Fractured Prune's Departure Leaves a Hole in Our Doughnut List

National Doughnut Day is June 7, and we're preparing to roll out our favorites.

June 6, 2019

Linnea Covington

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The Fractured Prune, a franchise that might have the worst name in food history, also had bad luck with its two Denver locations...so bad that good doughnuts weren't enough to save a reboot.

After a failed first attempt to put a Fractured Prune in Colorado, at 4090 East Mississippi, new franchise owner Mark Rothermel tried again at 9696 East Arapahoe Road in Greenwood Village. "We love the Denver market, and we want to expand our footprint across the Colorado market," Rothermel, who already owned a Fractured Prune in Las Vegas, told us in February 2018, days before his Centennial spot opened. "One thing we're doing different is we're simplifying the menu with customer favorites."

Customers liked his place enough that it rated a spot on our list of the ten best doughnut shops in metro Denver. But less than a year after it opened, this post appeared on the location's Facebook page: "Sorry to share this news, however, our store has permanently closed. We may be opening again in a few months under new ownership and new store name."

New store name: Good idea! (Read how the Fractured Prune name came to be on the company's website.) So far, though, that new store and a promised food truck have yet to appear.

In the meantime, in honor of National Doughnut Day on June 7, we're looking to fill the doughnut hole left on our list by the departure of Fractured Prune.

What are your favorite doughnuts in Denver? Post your suggestions in a comment, or email [email protected].

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

A message from Patricia Calhoun: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Denver’s evolving dining scene and the latest culinary innovations our community offers.

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