Alexandria Living Magazine
Rob Krupicka, right, with Heather Peeler of ACT for Alexandria in January 2020.
Alexandria's Henry Street location of Sugar Shack Donuts will change to Elizabeth's Counter this spring, with a wider menu and new focus.
“Over the next few months, the store will evolve,” former Sugar Shack DMV owner Rob Krupicka told Alexandria Living Magazine. “To best serve this community, we need to offer food all day and this change will let us do that. We have been wanting to offer more food options for quite some time.”
The donut shop at 904 N. Henry St. will become a bakery, vegetarian-influenced café and coffee shop. While Elizabeth’s Counter will have donuts, sugary goodness will not be not the focus.
“With an emphasis on plant-based and sustainable food as well as good, comfortable recipes, Brandon McDermott and Rob Krupicka want to work with you to build something unique - a counter service restaurant with less guilt and a lot of flavor. Inspired by the success of their plant-based donuts, Chef McDermott began experimenting with additional ways to create great plant-based food. Serving everything from donuts and pastries to burgers and brussel sprouts, EC will feed your body and soul,” according to the new café’s website.
Elizabeth’s Counter is named after the mother of Captain Gregory, the historic figure who reportedly invented putting a hole in the donut. Captain Gregory is the namesake of Krupicka’s successful speakeasy next door.
The Alexandria Sugar Shack opened in early 2015 under the local ownership of Krupicka. He also opened an Arlington location on Glebe Road in 2017 and a Lansdowne shop in late 2019. He no longer owns the Arlington or Lansdowne locations.
Here in Alexandria, Sugar Shack has been generous to the community, frequently giving free donuts to local nonprofit organizations. In January, Sugar Shack celebrated its 5-year anniversary in Alexandria by donating 5 cents for every donut sold to ACT for Alexandria, the community’s foundation that works to increase charitable investment and community engagement in Alexandria.
