Top Pot's Next Seattle Store About to Launch; Dallas Location Opens This Month

Top Pot is about to open its 16th doughnut shop in 12 years. Eater talked with co-founder Mark Klebeck about the new space near the ferry terminal on Western Ave. and where the Seattle-based chain is headed next.

Seattle Mag's Julien Perry first reported on the upcoming location in The Post that includes the company's first pour-over coffee bar, using beans from a rotating list of single origins. Top Pot roasts coffee for all of its locations and Zeitgeist (his brother Michael was an original founder) at its 5th Ave. flagship store. The company continues to made additions to its coffee program: All Top Pots began pouring cold brew last year and the South Lake Union location includes a siphon bar.

Klebeck had been waiting for a space he says "fits with our style" near Pioneer Square for some time and found a home that's on the path of ferry commuters headed to and from their offices. He's shooting to open by the end of April or the first week of May. What's next in the region? Top Pot outposts in the north end of Tacoma and throughout the South Sound.

Klebeck has been talking about opening Top Pot outposts beyond Washington since 2012. His customer base has grown in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area: Klebeck says that tourists from Texas frequent his doughnut shops during cruise season, so he's launching a company-operated location in the state. Top Pot's first store in Texas is scheduled to open in Dallas at the end of the month.

Also, the company has received more than 700 applicants since it put together a manual for prospective franchisees and secured licensing to open locations in New York. "It's all keyed up and ready to go," Klebeck says. He's in the process of finding the right person to oversee 15 to 20 new stores not just in New York, "but also in New Jersey, Boston, and along the upper East Coast."
· Top Pot Doughnuts [Official Site]
· All Top Pot Coverage [-ESEA-]