Mariposa Market’s iconic and massive Texas Donut isn’t going away after all.
Amid a wave of patriotism over the trade war with the United States, the downtown Orillia cafe has decided to change the name of its most popular pastry.
However, the popular restaurant posted on social media this morning that “after careful consideration, our donut bakers have decided not to rename our signature Texas Donut.”
Instead, the bakers have unveiled the Grand Canuck Donut, which will be on display alongside the Texas Donut that the cafe has baked daily for nearly 40 years.
“Our bakers feel it’s deeply unfair to deprive our loyal customers of a Mariposa Market tradition that more than a million people from around the world — including many of our friends in Texas — have enjoyed over the years,” the social media post reads.
“Inspired by Canada’s clear lakes, majestic mountains and proud people, the Big Canadian Donut is just as delicious and fresh, covered in chocolate as our Texas donuts, but just a little bigger than those of our American neighbors.” They’re calling it their “new tradition.”
Last week, Bob Willsey, owner of Mariposa Market, floated the idea of renaming the donut on the store’s social media. Customers then jumped in to share their thoughts, suggestions and enthusiasm for the change.
Willsey noted that more than 1,400 name suggestions were received, with more than 1,800 people participating in the discussion on the Facebook post.
“People really got involved,” he said. “Enthusiasm was high and some of the name suggestions were very creative.”
Among the most patriotic names were “The Great Canadian Donut,” “The Giant Canadian” and “The Canadian Donut.”
Mariposa’s briefly tried a range of names, including “Canada’s Not for Sale Donuts.” However, Wilsey ultimately chose “Bigger and Better Than Texas Donut” to retain the original Texas donut brand image while injecting a strong Canadian flavor.
Ultimately, the decision was made to keep the Texas donut and create a new signature dessert.
“It was a great way to spark discussion,” Wilsey said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about celebrating Canada.”
Related topics: