Mmm, bacon. ‘Piping hot’ new Meridian donut shop to open. The name might quack you up.

If you’re a donut addict, you have your local Boise favorites: DK. Country. Guru.

And, possibly, your guilty-pleasure chains: Krispy Kreme. Dapper. But not Dunkin’. (Despite 9,000 or so locations, there are zero of those in Idaho, miraculously.)

Either way, the Treasure Valley will welcome an intriguing, decadent-looking newcomer to the game next year. With an unusual name.

Duck Donuts plans to take over the former Which Wich sandwich shop space at 2126 N. Eagle Road. There’s no timeline yet, but the store should be open in the first half of 2021. Duck Donuts has nearly 100 franchise locations in 19 states; this will be the chain’s Idaho debut. It’s named after Duck, North Carolina, where one of the first shops opened in 2007.

Duck Donuts specializes in the cake variety — “warm, delicious, made-to-order donuts in a bright, family-friendly environment,” according to a media release. Some reviewers describe Duck’s delicacies as “piping hot” when they emerge. Warm? Piping hot? Either way, yum. Even modestly toasty, a cake donut can be a near-religious experience at the proper melt-in-your-mouth temperature.

“Duck Donuts is known for its unique custom-ordering process that allows customers to choose from a variety of coatings, toppings and drizzles,” the company goes on to explain, “in order to create an endless array of options.”

To get to that scrumptious point, you go through a made-to-order process. You start with a fresh vanilla cake donut. You coat that with glaze, maple, lemon, chocolate, blueberry, vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter — or powdered or cinnamon sugar. (Or just leave it bare.) Then you hit it with rainbow or chocolate sprinkles, shredded coconut, Oreo cookie pieces, graham cracker crumbs — or chopped peanuts or bacon (more bacon, please!) Lastly, you drizzle it with hot fudge, raspberry, salted caramel or marshmallow.

Got a sugar high? Is choosing from all these options too difficult? No prob. Just point at something. Duck sells “fan favorites.” Popular choices include the ridiculous Bacon in the Sun (maple icing, chopped bacon, salted caramel drizzle), the Sunrise (lemon icing, raspberry drizzle) and the Chocolate Explosion (chocolate icing, Oreo crumbles, hot fudge drizzle).

To keep the calories coming, Duck’s menu also features breakfast sandwiches, donut sundaes (with Breyer ice cream) and milkshakes.

If you’re a caffeine junkie, have no fear. Duck pours its own signature coffee blends and espresso.

Best of all? Duck Donuts is relatively affordable. For under $2, it’s hard to imagine biting into something more self-indulgent than a Bacon in the Sun.

This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 4:00 AM.