Prior to becoming the proud owners of Chickenbutt Donuts, Sue and Tre Dabney had a combination of 30 years of experience in the service industry. They’d been working at Amazon for five years, and Sue said it was time for a change.

After contemplating opening either a donut shop or an ice cream parlor, they ultimately decided on donuts because Chapin didn’t have one yet.

“We bought a donut machine off eBay with our tax return money and practiced for a year in our garage and had endless brainstorming sessions during that year,” Sue said. “One day in June of 2018, we were driving by the location we are in now and saw the ‘For Lease’ sign and Tre said, ‘Let’s do it.’ So we did it.”

After receiving sound advice and support from their supplier, Dawn Foods, and lots of practice, they opened their own business in November of that year. And the Dabneys have been making customers smile with the taste of their donuts ever since. Their continuous support of the community has also remained steadfast.

Over 2,000 pounds of donuts per year are donated to We Care Center weekly in Chapin by Chickenbutt Donuts. Additionally, they provide support to Lexington-Richland School District Five as well as other businesses and organizations such as Bart’s Coffee and the Chapin Woman’s Club.

“We love our Chapin, White Rock, Ballentine, Irmo and Lexington community. It’s evident that locals support locals here,” she said.

Whether it’s Chickenbutt Donuts’ best-selling maple bacon or the seasonal pecan pie, there is a donut for everyone’s taste buds. The Dabneys take pride in the fact that their products are handcrafted, and also how quickly and efficiently orders go out for customers. A donut can be as simple or elaborate as someone wants.

“My favorite is just a cinnamon sugar donut fresh out of the fryer, but we’ve had kids come in and order a donut with chocolate icing, mini M&Ms, Reese’s crumbles, Oreo crumbles, sour gummy worms and caramel drizzle on one donut,” Sue Dabney said. “We just tell them to remember there is only so much room on a donut, but we’ll make it happen! That’s the beauty of it all, it can just be glazes and powders or super crazy, the customer decides. We also have a menu of pre-imagined donuts and box deals if they don’t want to create their own, which makes it super easy and super fast.”

The Chickenbutt Donuts menu contains fan favorites, but it also continuously changes with new, exciting flavors. They fry fresh vanilla cake donuts daily and offer seasonal flavors like apple cider, pumpkin spice and gingerbread.

“Our cake donuts are fluffy, and have a light crisp on the outside. We have so many people say it’s the best donut they’ve ever had,” she said.

Options such as apple fritters and pershings are also available while supplies last.

“Our apple fritters have become a year-round hit, while the pershings, which is a yeast-raised donut with a light, cinnamon swirl, is quickly becoming a top seller,” Sue Dabney said.

The popularity of Chickenbutt Donuts expands far past Chapin’s boundaries, too. It has become a staple snack stop for those traveling through the area, in addition to their loyal, local customers. The shop offers more than tasty products. It’s the friendly faces and fun ambiance that attracts attention from the community and makes them want to keep coming back.

Tre Dabney’s sense of humor and hilarious posts on their social media page brings in a huge fan following. In particular, his post about the celebrity neighborhood cat, Oreo, was featured in an article on www.thedodo.com that went viral and was then discussed on The Drew Barrymore Show.

“Tre loves to make people laugh, which is why we have such a great following on Facebook. So if you need a laugh every once in a while, follow our Facebook,” Sue Dabney said. “Using some humor to brighten someone’s day has been a great joy.”

It was this quirky sense of humor that helped them initially choose such a unique name for their business.

“One day, our kids came in and said, ‘Dad, Dad, Dad! Guess what?’ Tre said, ‘What?’ The boys said, Chickenbutt!’ and ran out of the room laughing like it was the funniest thing they ever heard. Tre thought, ‘Hmmmmm, Chickenbutt and Donuts, it rhymes. It’s funny.’ He then drew the logo and the rest is history,” Sue Dabney said.

Further information about Chickenbutt Donuts, which is located at 2130B Dutch Fork Rd. in Chapin, can be found at chickenbuttdonuts.com and their number is 803-862-0048.