5 Ohio Food Trucks for Coffee and Doughnuts

Death Grip Donuts
This Dayton-area food truck offers fresh takes on the morning favorite, constantly coming up with new flavors and limited-run creations that keep customers coming back.

During his 13 years as a pipeline welder, Cameron Hill traveled the country, and when he did, he always ended up finding doughnuts.

“I always said I was a doughnut connoisseur because, whatever town I went to, I could tell you where the doughnut shop was,” he says.

In 2022, when one of his favorite Florida shops went up for sale, he contemplated buying the business, which had two locations, 14 employees and a food truck. After his now-fiancée, Lainey Lucas, cautioned him about taking such a leap with no experience, he decided against it, but the idea stuck.

“She talked me off the ledge, and I said, ‘Hear me out. Let’s start a food truck.’”

Hill purchased the supplies he needed and assembled his trailer before ever making a doughnut. From there, he delved into YouTube videos, online baker forums and Facebook groups to figure out what he needed to get cooking. After 10 months of work, Hill and Lucas brought Death Grip Donuts to the Dayton area in 2023.

“I’m really big into skulls. I’m all tattooed up; it’s kind of all in my lane,” Hill says of the name. “We wanted something that was catchy and fun. … It’s tongue-in-cheek.”

The trailer has up to 32 different doughnuts available at any time. Along with staple flavors, there are new ones constantly being rotated in and regular drops of wild new creations that reward repeat visits.

“From June to August, we’ll introduce 15 to 20 new doughnuts. ...” Hill says. “We’re constantly innovating and trying to come up with things people have never seen.”

The doughnuts have fun names, with past favorites including Salty Like Your Ex (salted caramel), Breakfast at Mamaw’s (French toast); Berry Breathin’ (blueberry cheesecake) and the Dirty South (peach cobbler). One of the biggest successes was the one-weekend exclusive Locals Only, a maple doughnut served with three mini pancakes, homemade cinnamon butter and a pipette of syrup.

“We went to the Sugar Maple Festival,” Hill says, “and we sold over 750 of those doughnuts in two and a half days.” facebook.com/deathgripdonuts

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Athens Rise & Grind

The roots of Brandon Buckley’s Athens Rise & Grind gourmet coffee truck reach back to a cold morning at the Bob Evans Farm Festival. He was there with his A-Town Pies and Fries food trailer, but festival attendees were looking for coffee.

“So, I went and bought a couple coffee pots and started selling coffee and hot chocolate,” he recalls.

The coffee remained a side offering until Buckley learned his former student council advisor was closing his Athens coffee shop and asked to buy its contents. He struck a deal, found a truck and, in 2023, began serving the college town from a downtown vendor spot.

Sourcing beans from Glouster’s woman-owned Dirty Girl Coffee, Athens Rise & Grind serves up traditional hot coffee drinks along with flavored coffees and seasonal offerings like the Aloha Latte (lavender, coconut and almond). The truck also offers refreshers and lemonades in a rainbow of flavors.

“College students have to walk past where I’m set up,” Buckley says. “I don’t have to hope and pray someone shows up.” facebook.com/rise.and.grind.coffee22

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The Roaming Donut

When your food truck’s logo features a doughnut taking a hike (complete with backpack and walking stick), a 1986 Toyota Winnebago camper is the perfect choice for bringing your sweet creations to the public. It also reflects the passions of The Roaming Donut owners Katie and Brenton Burgess.

“We were in Washington on a hiking trip and saw it at an auction place,” Katie recalls, adding that the vehicle needed some repairs that required it to be brought back to Ohio on a trailer. “Once we got it home, it was kind of an easy fix.”

A carpenter by trade, Brenton repaired and renovated the camper himself. He had previously helped friends who own the coffee truck Frenchie Roast with their vehicle, and today, the two trucks routinely set up beside each other throughout the Mansfield area.

The Roaming Donut features four different flavors each week, which are announced on Sundays. They range from traditional glazed to creations such as French Toast, Orange Creamsicle and Birthday Cake.

“We enjoy meeting new people and adding some excitement to their day,” Katie says. facebook.com/theroamingdonut

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Coffee Coven

Liz Kestel spent 15 years in health care before her love for coffee took her down a different route. She launched her Coffee Coven trailer in May 2023 and has since been appearing across the east side of Columbus.

“The Coffee Coven name is a joke between me and my friends. I would always say I was making potions,” Kestel says of time spent learning how to make drinks. “‘Coven’ is not just for witches. If you look it up, it means ‘a group of people gathering for the same purpose,’ which is coffee.”

Kestel adds that she was going for “old-school apothecary” with the look of her black trailer that offers a very large menu of coffees, teas, pastries, hydration drinks, immunity drinks and refreshers like her signature Purple Rain, made with blueberries and acaii.

“My husband added up the total number of items on my menu and it was over 120,” she says. “He always argues it is too big. I always say, ‘No, it’s not. It’s perfect.’” facebook.com/CoffeeCovenOhio

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Rising Sun Coffee Co.

In 2020, Andie Roese and her husband, Mason, went on a road trip to the West Coast, where they were intrigued by the coffee huts they encountered during their travels. After returning, they talked about creating a coffee truck, and Mason, who was battling a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma, mentioned the idea to his grandfather.

“His grandpa just ran with the idea,” Andie recalls. He had an old bread truck, but it needed work. “Luckily, we had a family member who built out food trucks.”

Six months after Rising Sun Coffee Co.’s launch, Mason passed away, but Andie along with Mason’s mom, dad and sister continue in his memory. Look for the truck in Ashville, Canal Winchester and Circleville, where it serves coffee with house-made syrups as well as its signature vanilla- and Buckeye-flavored draft cold brews.

“It’s just really cool to be back on the truck and to remember where we started and why we do it,” Andie says. “Mason was very big on serving the community.” risingsuncoffeeco.com