Let’s Go Donuts

Harlem, NY – style has always been a part of the language. How people dress, move, speak and create carries weight there. So when Trips launched Go Donuts, he wasn’t  trying to open just another dessert spot. He was building something that felt like the neighborhood itself. Creative, vibrant and inviting enough to feel like home, but different enough to stop people in their tracks.

What began with their signature mini donuts quickly grew into something much larger. Today, Go Donuts has become a community-driven brand known for bold flavors, nostalgic energy, and experiences that feel uniquely its own. From their famous 64-count donut boxes to chicken and donuts, shrimp and donuts, specialty lemonades, hot chocolate, and fan favorites like Go Better Blues and Go Berry Short Cake, there is no shortage of creativity on the menu. They even expanded into apparel, further extending the creativity beyond the kitchen. But the food is only part of the reason people keep coming back.

Trips speaks about the business the same way someone would talk about music, fashion, or art. Growing up in Harlem shaped how he sees creativity. The energy of the streets, the influence of sports and clothing culture, the sounds of the city, and the closeness of family are all found on the way into the shop. Trip wants customers to feel that energy  when they order donuts and “crave them every time.” They give people the freedom to imagine and create their own donut combinations. Their concept is playful and creative, but there is also a lot of meaning behind it.

Trip tells us, “Since I was young I had a love for donuts, fashion and creating my own clothes. In Harlem, we love to dress it’s a stage. So, I just combined the two and made something unique that people haven’t seen. I love to put a smile on peoples faces and give back to my neighborhood, showing kids this is possible from someone who looks like them.”

While Trips remains deeply involved in the daily operation of the business, he makes it clear that Go Donuts grew through family and community support. The people around him are not treated like background pieces to the business. They are part of the engine pushing it forward. He credits family members for helping protect the energy of the brand and keeping the experience personal as the business expands.

” Running a growing brand takes collaboration. From preparing food and serving customers to helping with events, content creation, merchandise, and community outreach, having people around who believe in the vision is important. I value teamwork because it allows the business to grow while keeping the energy and experience authentic. My family helped build this with me and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

There is also honesty in the way he talks about entrepreneurship. He does not romanticize it. He openly discusses the stress that comes with permits, licenses, regulations, and depending on the wrong people too early on. Some lessons came from trusting others to handle the business with the same level of care he had for it. Other lessons came from realizing certain responsibilities had to stay close to home.

“I’ve had many and I’m still going through obstacles now. I’ll just say, don’t let anything stop you be determined an there’s nothing we can’t figure out. Ask questions. Do research and get the knowledge.”

Still, even while talking about setbacks, his mindset never drifts too far from optimism. Again and again, he comes back to belief, determination, and consistency. For him, success is not measured only by revenue or expansion. It is seeing kids in Harlem celebrate birthdays inside the shop. It is watching the community embrace something created by someone who comes from the same blocks they do. It is hearing people talk about Go Donuts as part of their memories.

As Go Donuts approaches its one-year anniversary on June 6th, 2026, Trips speaks with the pride of someone who understands how difficult it is to turn an idea into something real. The excitement is not about surviving another trend cycle. It is about proving that a business built from creativity, neighborhood support, and hard work can stand tall in New York City.

And in many ways, that may be the real draw of Go Donuts. Yes, people come for the flavors, the colors, and the combinations they cannot get anywhere else, but they also come for the feeling and the energy. The shop reflects the same ambitious, expressive, and welcoming energy that built it. 

In closing, Trip shares with us the following:

“Thank you to my community, to Harlem, to the whole New York for supporting us. Thank you to my family and friends. Let’s keep going and building and supporting business from the ground up. We can be as big as all these other brands, we just have to dream big, support, stay consistent and build together.”