One of the most common complaints about Orange City is that everything closes soon after the sun goes down.
Yet Loren and Kathy Mulder, the new owners of the Dutch Bakery (as of Sept. 1, 2009) have given students a reason to cease complaining by providing them with a place to go when the rest of the town turns in for the night.
The Dutch Bakery is now open from midnight to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (or Sunday night through Saturday morning depending on how you look at it), and from midnight to 1 pm on Saturday.
“We decided to expand the hours because we’re here doing the baking anyway,” Mulder said, “and we can give you guys a place to go.”
Though the Dutch Bakery has new ownership, hours and appearance, it hasn’t changed its product line of tasty treats.
“We’ve just cleaned the place up,” Mulder said. “Everything else is the same: same equipment, same recipes, same doughnuts, cookies, pastries and cakes.”
The Mulders even added to the ordering options: the bakery now offers a small lunch menu, which includes soup and a couple types of sandwiches such as taverns, hot dogs and runzas (seasoned ground beef with sauerkraut).
Two other new features include large, pizza-sized decorated cookies and what Loren calls “freshly frozen” bread and buns.
“All the bread and buns we put in the freezer once they come out of the oven and reach room temperature and by doing this all the bread tastes like it was just made after it thaws,” said Loren.
Changing the list of menu items was not the only change the Mulders made.
After the previous owner, Arne Vermaat, sold the bakery to the Mulders, some remodeling changes needed to be made in order to comply with health codes.
“We’ve made updates because we had to put the bathroom in,” Mulder said. “We wanted to make it look like part of the building and not just an addition.”
As a result, the walls have been resurfaced and revitalized with new paint colors.
“We wanted to brighten up the area and I love yellow; it’s my favorite color so I knew we had to paint some walls that color,” said Loren. “The yellow really lets the sun bounce around the bakery.”
More of the sun’s rays can enter the bakery due to having an entire entryway of clear windows.
The bakery is also in the process of being remodeled from the outside. The awning has been taken down giving, the front of the building a different look, and a new sign is on its way.
One of the most student-friendly promotions of the Dutch Bakery, the “After School Special,” remains a consistent feature of the shop through its recent transformation. Students from any school can purchase leftover doughnuts from the bakery’s daily supply for only a quarter.
Whether you need a quiet place to study away from campus, or you’ve got a quarter you can’t seem to find a use for, or you’re frustrated with the lack of Orange City night life, the Dutch Bakery may be just the remedy you’re looking for.