Bloom Roadside in Milton serves up specialty donuts, burgers | Business News

MILTON, Ga. — Life is like a box of doughnuts for Bloom Roadside.

The little café on the side of the Hopewell Road in Milton offers an array of fresh doughnuts, coffee, teas, sandwiches and burgers.

Located at 15260 Hopewell Road, inside the historic Hardeman’s Grocery, employees greet customers with a smile.

It all began in May 2021, when New Yorker Josh Kim decided to create Milton’s next doughnut shop. Kim renovated the 1,100 square-foot historic store from the 1940s into a cozy, farmhouse café.

“They always wanted to do a simple, humble, family-oriented [environment],” General Manager Daniel Nicks said. 

Chef at Atlanta staples, like Fred’s Meat & Bread and The General Muir, Todd Ginsburg later joined the picture to help out with the shop.

Since then, doughnuts have been handmade each morning, hours before the store opens at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays. Although it may seem intense, the process is quite simple, as the store only uses unbleached flour, milk, eggs and butter.

“We want indulgence, but simple, clean ingredients,” Nicks said.

Customers can enjoy fresh, warm doughnuts of all flavors, including chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, cinnamon, coffee bacon, apple fritter and cookies n’ cream.

Doughnuts aren’t the only star of the show. Nicks said that the staple of the restaurant is the Roadside Burger, made with 100 percent certified angus beef, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and a sesame bun.

“People would hear about us a lot for the doughnuts, but business is actually built on the Roadside Burger,” he said.

The burgers are ground in-house and cooked in the shop.

“Everything is made from scratch,” Nicks said.

Those looking for a unique menu item can try the doughnut burger, which features the Roadside Burger sandwiched between a toasted and glazed doughnut.

While menu items are important, Nicks said the most vital part to him is the community. On any regular day, customers can find him greeting the regulars and making connections with new faces.

The shop runs on three words, cuisine, comfort and community, evidenced through the shop’s outreach with the City of Milton.

“We want [to] be a place where people can come and hang out,” Nicks said.

Every Friday at 10 a.m., community members can bring their children to story time. Bloom Roadside also hosts several events like dance alongs and a Memorial Day BBQ for guests to enjoy.

Madison Becker, who grew up 10 minutes from the store, now serves as assistant general manager. One of her favorite parts of the job is the baking.

“It’s calm,” she said.

Not only does Becker get to bake, but she also gets to come up with the new specialty flavors.

“It’s really fun to come up with new flavors,” Becker said.

Every two months, Becker goes through her process, which includes going on Pinterest and brainstorming what will work best for the season.

Becker gave a sneak peek into this summer’s flowery flavor, which will include notes of hibiscus and honeysuckle.

“We’ve got a super creative staff,” Nicks said.