After nearly 50 years of serving the Burbank community their morning doughnuts and coffee, the Donut Prince himself is retiring.
Owner Mike Abdelghani opened the doughnut shop located on Irving Drive in the 1970s.
The shop is open seven days a week, and since it opened, Abdelghani has rarely taken a day off. His last day was on Thursday — New Year’s Eve.
“I just want to thank the neighborhood for supporting me throughout all these years and my family also, and we appreciate every single thing that the neighborhood has done for us,” he told NBCLA during his final work shift.
Throughout the day, customers stopped by to say goodbye, and grab a doughnut (or a dozen), at Donut Prince.
The Donut Prince location on Irving Drive in Burbank, California.
Dave Kneeboe and his children dropped by to say goodbye to the man they known as “Mike.”
Kneeboe says the family has come to Donut Prince for years, adding it’s the “highlight of the weekend” and the occasional school day.
His children, Clara and Eli, gave Mike a handwritten thank you card to wish him a happy retirement.
“I’m gonna treasure this,” he said of the handwritten thank you card complete with a doughnut drawing on the front.
The Kneeboes say Donut Prince’s classic apple fritter doughnuts are “the best.”
Sean Browning/NBCLA Doughnuts at the Donut Prince on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020.
Despite Mike’s retirement, Donut Prince will remain open seven days a week under a new owner, Vannak Touch.
And Abdelghani’s beloved recipes will stay the same, he said.
“I’m gonna miss the neighborhood, but I will be in the neighborhood. I’ll come and visit everybody here. I’ll be at the doughnut shop now and then,” Abdelghani said.
