Jacob Lum had no idea someone else was in the room when co-workers told him Tuesday to turn around. So when Lum followed their instructions, he unexpectedly stood face to face with something terrifying: a scary clown clutching red balloons and a box of doughnuts.
"Oh, that's just messed up," Lum said as the room burst into laughter. "I hate you guys so much."
Lum was one of several unsuspecting customers to receive a similar fright from Hurts Donut Co., which is offering people the opportunity to "scare the sprinkles" out of friends, family members and co-workers with doughnuts delivered by creepy-looking clowns.
The company was founded in Springfield, Mo., in 2013 by Tim and Kas Clegg and has been doing similar costume deliveries for Halloween the past three years. But the promotion has soared in popularity this year because of the success of the movie It.
Melissa Henning, who along with her husband, Dak, owns the Fayetteville store that opened on June 7, said the requests began pouring in as soon as the store posted the offer on its Facebook page. They had a full day of deliveries Tuesday and will embark on another round Monday.
"My phone was ringing so much I couldn't even look at it to check messages to call people back," Melissa Henning said. "It was ringing nonstop. We've had a huge response for it."
The Cleggs came up with the idea. Kas Clegg jokes that she and her husband started Hurts Donut Co. for one reason: It was cheaper to open a shop than to support her doughnut habit.
They opened the first store in Springfield nearly four years ago, and the 24-hour franchise has quickly grown in popularity as customers flock to their wide assortment of doughnuts. Some are topped with bacon, some with cereal, or candy and other delights. Kas Clegg said their original five-year plan called for one more store, but the company is well ahead of schedule with 14 locations and another set to open in Branson soon. She said there are about 10 other locations under contract.
The quirkiness of the company is evident in its variety of doughnuts. One is stuffed with Nutella, and another looks like Cookie Monster. Other flavors include the Andes Mint (chocolate with crushed Andes mint candy), S'mores (chocolate, crumbled graham crackers and a marshmallow) and the Homer Simpson (pink frosting with sprinkles). Melissa Henning said the Maple Bacon Long John, which is topped with maple icing and covered in chopped bacon, is the top seller.
Hurts Donut Co. stands out in other ways. The company uses repurposed ambulances, called "Emergency Donut Vehicles," to transport and sell doughnuts at community events and functions. The company occasionally schedules the "Big Mouth Challenge," a competition where customers try to eat a 1-pound doughnut in 90 seconds or less.
Then there's the costume deliveries, which have led to employees dressed as cupids for Valentine's Day, leprechauns for St. Patrick's Day and bunnies at Easter.
"I'm all about having an outlet for my craziness," Kas Clegg said. "Our deliveries are the way to go."
That's why Dak Henning was wearing a clown costume while sitting in the back of a repurposed ambulance driven by his wife Tuesday morning.
The Hennings said they had never owned a business before opening the Fayetteville store in early June. Dak was a longtime police officer, and Melissa was a makeup artist. But Melissa had a connection to Kas Clegg, and the opportunity to open a franchise in Fayetteville emerged.
"We always wanted to own our business," Dak Henning said. "When they started franchising, it was a pretty easy fit for us. This is kind of right up our alley with our personalities."
Wearing a clown suit and mask was his first experience with costume deliveries since the store opened in June and Dak Henning was prepared for a variety of responses from customers.
On his first delivery, he terrified a woman who was at home getting ready for work. A little later, he got a hug from Savanna Jones, who had a dozen doughnuts delivered to her while she was at work.
The Hennings worked in tandem during the deliveries. While Dak Henning scared customers with his costume, Melissa wore her Hurts Donut Co. T-shirt and explained what was going on to the unsuspecting recipients. The element of surprise was the goal, but the couple also wanted to be practical as they delivered doughnuts to some locations.
"When we go to the Police Department she's going to go in ahead of time and be like, 'Hey, we're going to be doing a delivery. Don't freak out about the guy in the clown costume,'" Dak Henning said.
The Hennings will make clown-surprise deliveries again Monday and are considering additional delivery dates because of the popularity of the clown delivery service, which costs $25 for a dozen doughnuts. The Hennings are keeping their eyes on store expansion opportunities as well, hoping success will lead to other Hurts Donut locations in the state.
They're also preparing for February, their next costume delivery opportunity. Someone will play the role of cupid, wearing a diaper, wings and brandishing a bow and arrow as they deliver doughnuts.
"I haven't decided if I'm doing that one yet," Dak Henning said. "I'm OK if I get to wear a mask, and nobody gets to see who I am. I don't know about wearing a diaper and pink knee-high socks."
SundayMonday Business on 09/29/2017