AUGUSTA, Ga. - Since retiring from the military, two veterans are making people happy across the CSRA with their menu.

Belair Donuts sold over 12,000 dozen donuts last year alone. You may see their big, vibrant mural as you're going down Jimmie Dyess Parkway in Augusta.

One of their most popular items is the apple fritter.

"Nice, fresh, you get that apple, you get the cinnamon there, and it has a lot going on," co-owner Mark Parker said.

Their flavorful apple fritters and specialty donuts are made in-house.

"We make donuts fresh here every night," Parker said. Mark Parker and his wife, Michelle Parker, open the doors to Belair Donuts bright and early every morning.

"We're not here to solve world problems, but if I can make somebody's day a little brighter, a little better, why not," Mark Parker said. "You don't know how many kids we have coming in here when they see a sprinkled donut, they get so excited, and that's really, you know, you wonder why we do what we do and stuff like that. When I get that young person in here and they get so excited over a donut, that just makes it all worth it."

On a busy day, they're making 1,800 donuts.

"Our largest order ever was 1,000 donuts," he said. "One night. We had to make it on top of everything else."

Donuts aren't the only thing sold at Belair Donuts. Their general manager, Rebecca, makes a homemade chicken salad.

"We make the chicken salad in house. It's pretty popular with us as well. We don't do raisins," he explained. "So, yeah, it has nice, white chicken meat, it has celery, red onions, pepper, salt, yeah and it comes on a toasted croissant."

They also offer a Texas favorite, kolaches.

"People come in, especially military who've been stationed in Texas or from Texas, they say, oh my god, you have kolaches! We're like, yeah," Parker said.

Parker said they offer a plain, cheese or spicy option for kolaches.

"We put cayenne on it. The cayenne allows us to identify it. But the spice is in the sausage," he said. "These are pretty popular. I'd say, on a daily basis, we're probably making 60 to 80 of them between the two shops."

The beautiful mural outside Belair Donuts was painted by Master Productions' Cole Phail, the same artist who painted the James Brown mural in downtown Augusta.

Belair Donuts opens every day from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Sundays, they open at 6 a.m.

Come back with us next week as we Eat. Play. Go. our way through the CSRA!

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