Palatine community turns out after donut shop asks for help on social media

PALATINE, Ill. (WLS) -- It's a decades-old family recipe.

"We bake three times a day," said Suzy Cambell with Spunky Dunkers. "Our donuts are always fresh and we want them warm for our customers."

For Campbell, it's a family tradition.

"We have been here since 1964," she added.

Each handmade donut, along with the smell of hot and fresh coffee, is a staple in the Palatine community.

"Double chocolate is a hit [and] choc cream puff is a hit," Campbell said.

For the past few days, business has been spotty at Spunky Dunkers.

"We were so dead. We had the storms and then obviously the pandemic," she explained.

That's when the team took to social media, asking customers to please come in - and now those donuts are flying off the shelves.

"We were not even prepared for it," Campbell said. "So, we were calling like, 'Hey! Can you come in? Can you come in?' Everyone that can work we said, 'Get in ASAP.'"

That post was shared thousands of times as the lines at the 24-hour donut shop stretched out the door.

'When they posted, I was like, I am coming. I am coming right now," said Melissa Moscinski.

It's not just the coffee and donuts that have people coming back for more.

"This is like a staple of Palatine," Moscinski said. "Everybody knows this place. When you say Spunky Dunkers, people are like, 'Oh Spunky!'"

As the locally owned establishment tries to stay afloat during the pandemic, customers are stepping up their game.

"We have been so thankful. Some woman came in here and bought six donuts for $800. We were freaking out," Campbell said. "Palatine has really just come through to help us."

As the crew works around the clock and we continue to try all their donuts, they are reminding people to shop local -- not just in the northwest suburbs, but all over.