AMERICUS, Ga. (WALB) — A new donut shop in Americus is drawing big crowds and bringing back memories for longtime residents. For the first time in 25 years, the city has a dedicated donut shop.

Baker’s Dozen Donuts and Diner is the first dedicated donut shop in Americus in 25 years. Kimberly Baker, the owner, said the idea came from her husband.

“Our intentions were just to fix this side up and rent it out. And then my husband was like, ”Hey, we should open a donut shop. And at first I was like, no, I know nothing about that. I had worked at Shaver Lumber for twenty-five years as their manager, so I kind of brushed him off. And the more I prayed about it, the more God started showing me a vision. So that’s kind of how it happened, just through prayer,” Baker said.

The 1950s-style diner opened on March 23, 2026, and offers a wide variety of breakfast items along with donuts that are all made fresh that day.

Krystal Williams, manager at Baker’s Dozen, said her family used to talk about an old donut shop that used to be open, and that they plan on driving over two hours to try the donuts.

“I know for a lot of people growing up here, it’s really important. My dad grew up in here and he used to tell me about the donut shop that was here and how great the donuts were here. So I know for him and his family, it’s a really big deal. And they’re making plans to come down from Atlanta to come down to get the donut. So I’m excited about it,” Williams said.

The diner is supposed to close at 11 a.m. every day, but the lines of people that have shown up have caused them to stay open into the afternoon. Baker said she is proud to create an environment where people can feel safe.

“Oh, it just touches my heart so much. I mean, that’s the biggest reason why when my husband wanted to open it and I did not want to open it, and God just started showing me that he wanted this to be a place that people come in. And when you walk through these doors, we want you to feel loved. We want you to feel the love of Christ. We want you to feel the love from me and anybody else that’s in here. So to have the community support back, it just touches my heart so much,” Baker said.

Baker said that as they start hiring and training more staff, they plan to open later to start serving lunch and dinner.

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