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The beacon. The flying donut.
The one and only
Before I tell you how good the donuts that I got this weekend were, I will first share a couple of anecdotes about Gibson’s Donuts.
MUS Approved – When I was in high school (the Memphis University School), on Friday, each homeroom was allowed to bring food to eat during the morning announcements. We had an elaborate system that went alphabetically through the class, and each week a different student was responsible for bringing food. Each time I have used food in this paragraph, it has been as a synonym for donuts, as that is all we ever brought.
Now, I have said before that I like arbitrary statements that begin, “There are two types of people in this world…” Well, the same was true for me and the guys in my homeroom, there were the people that got donuts at Gibson’s and there were people that got them somewhere else. In case you are scoring at home, Gibson’s = Rebel Alliance, Anywhere Else = Galactic Empire.
I asked my brother, also an MUS alum, to give me his experience from homeroom donut day. “Instead of alternating who got the donuts, my classmates gave me money every Thursday. Because my drive to school went down Mendenhall, this ensured that we would have Gibson’s every week. There was no other option that would be sufficient.”
The Gibby Factor – One of my best friends family named one of their dogs Gibby after Gibson’s Donuts. Man’s best friend indeed.
The Vineyard Vines Correlation - Some of you may have been to the Vineyard Vines by Oak Hall store in Regalia Shopping Center on Poplar and Ridgeway. In addition to a lot of good clothing, you can find this tie:
That's right, Gibson's the tie.
I think that should wrap up what Gibson’s means to the people of this town. On to the food.
Make mine an old fashioned
Remember the Michael Jordan Factor that I blogged about earlier? It is the phenomenon where someone always orders his personal go-to item at a restaurant.
Ehlo, get away from the old fashioned.
My MJ Factor item at Gibson’s is the Old-Fashioned Donut. In my opinion, this donut is superior to all others (apologies to Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, OR, I will feature your maple-bacon doughnut in an upcoming travel blog). There isn’t much to describe this donut, other than mentioning that it is lightly glazed cake donut. Get it.
Betteer make mine a double.
Fruit + Cake
I’m not the only one in my house that likes a good donut. K is also a fan of the glory that is the Gibson’s cake donuts. However, she likes to get crazy and get the blueberry. Admission – I got us each 2 of our donuts of choice, and I ended up eating both of mine and 1 of hers. The Blueberry Cake donut is awesome, just more of a Scottie Pippen to my MJ. - Admission Over.
Old Fashioned and its blueberry cousin
I’m pretty sure that most people like donuts, so I am pretty comfortable saying that most people will love Gibson’s. So get over there and give it a shot, and end up like this guy:
Me too, big guy...
See you there! Just don’t get between me and the old-fashioned.
-Thomas
I’m new(er) to the area and have been looking for that perfect donut! I’m checking Gibson’s out asap!
Love your blog!!
emily
Emily, I’m glad that you like it! Gibson’s really is my favorite. I’m sure that some people don’t agree, but in this, I think I am right!
Hmmm, maybe the blueberry should be the girlfriend of the old fashioned instead of its cousin. I’m picturing a stop-motion video of the old fashioned courting the blueberry across the kitchen counter (and wooing her dog). xo
Thomas,
Loved the article, always happy to hear from our fans!
–Bainbridge (son of Gibson’s owners Don and Rita DeWeese and administrator of the Gibson’s Facebook page)
We moved back to East Memphis 2 years ago and Gibson’s has been my downfall! They are SOOOO yummy! I am a teacher and whenever we bring a class treat – they always want me to bring Gibson’s! There IS no other donut as far as we are concerned (and there’s another donut shop within walking distance!)
Thanks for the plug. If you get to a blog about Voodoo Doughnut, be sure to add that I am from Memphis and befriended Don DeWeese who was a tremendous mentor!
Gibson’s is great. Their donuts put me in husky pants from Nadie’s when I was 10. My Dad spends most mornings there. My brother-in-law from Kansas will immediately go there to pick up apple fritters when he comes to town, no matter what time.
That said, Donald’s is seriously underrated. Dare I say it, I’d take a pineapple fritter from Donald’s over a Gibson’s apple fritter. The butter roll at Donald’s is an ethereal wonder. The jalapeno kolache is outpacing even the Chik Fil A chicken biscuit for savory breakfast items on Union Avenue.
This is simply my opinion, but it is born of experience: the chocolate glazed donut from Donald’s is the gold standard donut for the City of Memphis. Perfect sweetness from the chocolate paired with a light, chewy, in places crispy, just barely sweet dough.