By 8 a.m. Thursday morning — one day after Federal Donuts first announced it would sell special green donuts to rep the Eagles in Super Bowl LII — the store’s Seventh and Poplar location had already sold out of its first batch.
That’s 10 dozen donuts snapped up in one hour.
The overwhelming response was not exactly a surprise. The Instagram post announcing the “Iggles” special was the brand’s most liked on the platform ever, Federal Donuts chef Matt Fein confirmed. It currently boasts more than 4,000 hearts.
So the staff was ready for the onslaught, and as soon as the first edition ran out, they restocked with 10 dozen more.
It’s all part of the plan to use the Eagles craze to help raise money for a good cause, said Fein. Every green donut sold will benefit The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia — the same organization getting donations from sales of Lane Johnson and Chris Long’s underdog tees.
“Yes, at moments we sell out,” Fein admitted, “but we are a well oiled machine and we re-up.” Demand was on par with that for the “Purple Rain” donut Fein created as a tribute to Prince back in 2016, he estimated.
“Whatever it takes,” he said, “to feed the appetites of our rabid fans and bring exposure to a much needed cause.”
Employee Ericka Bonaparte said the store also received at least 25 dozen preorders for tomorrow morning — so many that the staff halted any more preorders for pickup tomorrow morning. If you want to preorder, you’ll have to wait till Saturday, she said. And call early.
“We didn’t expect it to be crazy like this,” Bonaparte said. “It’s insane.”
