Psycho Donuts
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Psycho Donuts is a
donut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...
shop in
Campbell, California Campbell is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, Campbell's population is 43,959. Campbell is home to the Pruneyard Shopping Center, a sprawling open-ai ...
opened in March 2009. The theme of the shop is "craziness"; it specializes in unusual donut flavors and many of its donuts' names are puns on
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
es or other mental health conditions, and the store's decorations include a
straitjacket A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer's arms are in the sleeves, ...
and a
padded cell A padded cell or seclusion room is a controversial enclosure used in a psychiatric hospital or a special education setting in a private or public school, in which there are cushions lining the walls and sometimes has a cushioned floor as wel ...
. In 2016, a third location in Santa Clara, California was opened, which along with the second location in Downtown San Jose, has closed. In 2021 A pop up location in the Valley Fair mall was opened and it still currently operating.


Description

The shop was opened by Jordan Zweigoron and Kipp Berdianski in March 2009. Berdiansky left the partnership in late July, leaving Zweigoron as the sole owner. In 2014, Web Granger (1971–2019) became the owner of Psycho Donuts. Psycho Donuts describes itself as a shop that "has taken donuts to the next demented level" and "has taken the neighborhood donut and put it on medication, and given it shock treatment". Its products have unusual toppings such as
pretzels A pretzel ( ; from or , ) is a type of baked pastry made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical form, with the ends of a long strip of dough intertwined and then twisted ba ...
and
Froot Loops Froot Loops is a sweetened, fruit-flavored breakfast cereal made by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean markets and Kellanova for the rest of the world. The brand was solely owned by the original Kellogg Company before ...
, and many of the donuts' names are puns on mental health conditions—for example, there are donuts called "Bipolar", "Manic Malt", and "Cereal Killer"—although several also have names unrelated to mental illness, such as "Donut Fries", "S'Mores", and "Crispy Critters". Some refer to other serious medical conditions, such as "Massive Head Trauma". The shop's decor also has a
psychiatric institution A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with c ...
theme: it includes a straitjacket and padded room, an eating area called "Group Therapy", and the staff wear
lab coat A white coat, also known as a laboratory coat or lab coat, is a knee-length overcoat or smock worn by professionals in the medical field or by those involved in laboratory work. The coat protects their street clothes and also serves as a simpl ...
s or nurse uniforms. Zweigoron describes the store's atmosphere as that of a "fun mental institution".


Controversy

The shop has attracted controversy since it was opened in March 2009. Mental health advocates have claimed that the theme of the shop is offensive and perpetuates stereotypes and
stigmatization Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...
of mentally ill individuals. Organizations including the
National Alliance on Mental Illness The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a United States–based nonprofit organization originally founded as a grassroots group by family members of people diagnosed with mental illness. NAMI identifies its mission as "providing advoca ...
(NAMI), California's Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, and Silicon Valley Independent Living Center called on Psycho Donuts in early April to change the store's name and theme, claiming that negative portrayals of people with mental illnesses create "obstacles" for these people in daily life and can have psychological consequences. Brian Miller of NAMI pointed out that few physical illnesses are subject to the stigma that mental illnesses are, and that a "shop that made fun of cancer" would never be accepted. Author Pete Earley compared the shop's gimmick to the practice of "mak nggay men and lesbians the butt of jokes, as well as blacks, other minorities, and persons who were callously labeled as 'retards, gimps and cripples'". A city council meeting on April 7, 2009, included discussion on whether or not the shop should be forced to change its theme, and protests were held near the shop throughout April and May. Another protest was held on August 2. On the other hand, the store's owners and supporters have argued that the shop's theme has no malicious intentions and that the store is meant to be fun and unusual. The business also intended to use part of its profits to support the
National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that funds mental health research. It was originally called the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression, or NARSAD. It received its nonpro ...
, although the organization did not accept the donation. The store's owners and supporters argued that Psycho Donuts has a
First Amendment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
right (specifically, the right to free speech) to choose the name of their business and products. Finally, some people have argued that mental health advocates should worry about larger issues instead of "going after" such a small business, and that the controversy over the store would cause people to "not take mental health issues seriously". In May 2009, a workshop on mental health issues was held in Campbell; people attending the workshop credited the Psycho Donut controversy with raising the visibility of mental health issues and prompting the workshop. In late August that year Zweigoron, having become the sole owner of the shop, announced that he would remove the straitjacket and padded cell from the shop's interior, and changed the name of two donuts on the menu, "Bipolar" (changed to "Mood Swing") and "Massive Head Trauma" ("Headbanger"). In June 2013, Psycho Donuts again attracted controversy with the Foie Bomb, a
foie gras ; (, ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a Domestic duck, duck or Domestic goose, goose. According to French law, ''foie gras'' is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by ''gavage'' (force feeding). ''Foie gras'' i ...
donut, which it gave away free on National Donut Day because of a California anti-animal cruelty law forbidding the sale of foie gras. Ron Levi, the head chef, came up with the idea together with Charlie Ayers, former head chef at
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
.


''Donut Showdown''

In 2013, Psycho Donuts' head chef Ron Levi, assisted by Joe Cloutier, won first place in
Food Network Canada Food Network is a Canadian exempt discretionary specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. Based on the U.S. cable network of the same name, It broadcasts programming related to food, cooking, cuisine, and the food industry. History ...
's ''Donut Showdown''.


See also

*
Heart Attack Grill The Heart Attack Grill is an American independent restaurant in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. It was formerly located in Chandler, Arizona. The restaurant serves deliberately unhealthy junk food that is high in fat, sugar, and cholesterol, and its ...


References

{{coord, 37.2867, -121.9495, display=title Doughnut shops in the United States Mental health organizations based in California Buildings and structures in Santa Clara County, California Companies based in Santa Clara County, California Campbell, California Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants established in 2009 2009 establishments in California