Dr. Doughnut and Mr. Referee
By Owen Morris in Out & About
Monday, Jun. 8 2009 @ 10:15AM
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It's a double life of working the night shift at the store one week and appearing in front of more than 10,000 people and countless more on television the next week. Despite the hectic schedule Cone is content to keep things the way they are. "In fact when I'm on the road, I'm always on the lookout for businesses and ideas I can steal," Cone said. Not that he's looking for a way to reinvent his business. The Cones are third-generation Donut King owners, and in many ways they still run it as it was when it opened in 1969.
Doughnuts are made throughout the day and the Cones are very hands-on-owners, though John admits he doesn't work as much as he used to. "I'll be gone up to three weeks at a time but we've got great employees which makes it so much easier." When time permits (pretty much any time but the morning rush), employees stuff creme doughnuts to order. Often, people come by just to hang out and chat.
Tracking where Cone goes is a full-time job in of itself.
This week he's working shows in Pensacola, Florida; Lafayette,
Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and New Orleans. He not only referees but also
works as a stage hand, meaning days start around 7 a.m. and end around 1 a.m. Then it's off for a several-hour drive to the next town. "I only average maybe two, three hours of
sleep on the road ... they get hotels for the referees but mostly we don't
have time to use them."
Not that running a doughnut store offers much more sleep. Cone and his wife decided to buy Donut King after they saw an ad in the newspaper. They were both working at a fast-food restaurant and decided they needed something new. "She would work the morning shift and I would work the night shift and we would literally never see each other. Once we bought Donut King, it was the opposite -- we saw each other 24 hours a day. We went from one extreme to the other."
Cone said sometimes wrestling fans will come into the store to talk but mostly it's people looking for fresh doughnuts. "Either way, I'm happy to help."
For a chance to see Cone in action, watch WWE's Raw tonight at 8 p.m. on the USA channel.
Not that running a doughnut store offers much more sleep. Cone and his wife decided to buy Donut King after they saw an ad in the newspaper. They were both working at a fast-food restaurant and decided they needed something new. "She would work the morning shift and I would work the night shift and we would literally never see each other. Once we bought Donut King, it was the opposite -- we saw each other 24 hours a day. We went from one extreme to the other."
Cone said sometimes wrestling fans will come into the store to talk but mostly it's people looking for fresh doughnuts. "Either way, I'm happy to help."
For a chance to see Cone in action, watch WWE's Raw tonight at 8 p.m. on the USA channel.
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