Mayflower Doughnuts

Black and white illustration of a bald man dipping a red doughnut into a coffee cup with black text on a red background 

The first popularized doughnut machine was credited to Russian immigrant Adolph Levitt in New York City in 1920. After crowds flocked to his bakery for his fried doughnuts, the growing demand prompted him to create a device that would boost efficiency—thus, the doughnut machine was born. In the following decades, mass-produced doughnuts became a staple across the United States.

In order to manufacture and distribute his doughnut machines, Levitt founded the Doughnut Corporation of America (DCA) and in 1931, the DCA opened its first Mayflower Coffee Shop in Times Square, New York City. To further spread the popularization of doughnuts, the DCA created the National Dunking Association. The lighthearted membership-based organization geared towards doughnut enthusiasts hosted dunking contests and facilitated discussions on proper dunking etiquette.

The Mayflower Coffee Shop eventually became a chain, with 24 locations around the country by 1949. Each of the shop’s boxes featured Levitt’s motto, also nicknamed the Optimist’s Creed, which read, “As you ramble on through life, brother, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole!”