Inspiring Conversations with Danny Tangredi of Wake N Bake Donuts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Tangredi.

Hi Danny, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The idea came to me while I was still in college at the University of Central Florida. I was very much into quick breakfast options and totally in love with Coffee. I had a passion for baking already and dabbled in cookies, cakes, and pies.

The name Wake N Bake has a dual meaning. At the time their was a college culture of Waking and Baking. I thought playing off that culture would be best suited by opening a bakery-themed concept. As most college students with an idea, there were no funds to start a business so I kept the name and idea very hush-hush. Only telling a handful of people.

Fast forward to several years working in sales and with business owners as well with a little bit of capital in my pocket to finally start the company and I began the search. My wife and best friend urged me to move forward, offering their help to get the concept from idea to reality. We chose to leave our hometown of Maryland and decided Carolina Beach, NC, would be the best place to start. Having never made a donut before yet being successful in many other positions throughout life, I was eager to see this concept through. So we began making a selling donuts in October of 2014.

Fast forward to today and we have been successfully in business for over six years. We have been honored to receive Best Donuts awards both locally and Nationally. We had the opportunity to compete on the Cooking Channel show Donut Showdown and WIN!!! Our next step in this journey will be to franchise out and bring the concept to several cities throughout the country.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Peaks and Valleys is what they say. We have had our ups and downs. Staffing, demand, competition, costs, COVID, machines breaking down. Yet somehow, we have been able to keep moving forward successfully.

As you know, we’re big fans of Wake N Bake Donuts. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a full-service creative donut shop. We separate ourselves by creating the most unique donuts on the east coast. We are open year-round and all day and into the night. So whether you are looking for a breakfast treat, coffee, or dessert. We got you covered.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
We’ve been lucky enough to win awards that have helped us gain notoriety and provided us good opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Wakenbakedonuts.com
• Instagram: @wakenbakedonuts
• Facebook: Facebook.com/wakenbakedonuts