“With us we’re able to hit every palate choice,” Hill said. “You have your salties, your sweets, your milds to your wilds. We’re able to focus on everybody’s favorite.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Since their first event three weeks ago, customer favorites include:
- Bad Blood — a donut with original glaze, topped with fresh strawberries, a dollop of whipped cream and finished with a chocolate drizzle.
- Peanut Butter Overload — a donut with chocolate glaze, topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and finished with a peanut butter drizzle.
- Salty Like Your Ex — a donut with original glaze, topped with sea salt and finished with a caramel drizzle.
Death Grip Donuts has been nearly a year in the making. Hill, who grew up in Washington Court House and is a welder by trade, was originally planning to buy a donut shop in Florida but ended up returning to Ohio with a food truck instead.
“I wanted to bring what I love to everybody,” Hill said. “We’re bringing West Coast to the Midwest.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Lucas is originally from northern California and her hometown donut shop is what elevated Hill’s passion to bring a new type of donut to the Dayton area.
Hill described West Coast donuts as warm but crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. He also noted the West Coast variety has wild concoctions such as donuts filled with pop tarts or soft-boiled eggs.
Death Grip Donuts considers itself an entire brand, creating a unique experience. Lucas, who has a background in digital marketing, has been instrumental in implementing a cohesive brand.
The couple said they have been blessed to have a lot of great people in their corner and are very appreciative of the support.
“It’s been a labor of love,” Lucas said. “Seeing (Cameron’s) vision come to life is my favorite part of it.”
In the future, they plan to release a fall menu and introduce customers to their own signature coffee. They said the “possibilities are endless,” but hope to have the food truck up and running full time with catering opportunities and collaborations with local businesses.
“I’m a small town kid, but I have big dreams,” Hill said.
Death Grip Donuts is teaming up with Gladiator Training Center in Xenia for a community event open to the public. The event will be held Thursday, Aug. 31 starting at 5:30 p.m. For more information about Death Grip Donuts, visit the food truck’s Facebook or Instagram pages.
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