Brandy Walters thinks she’s found a way to bring in more money to her restaurant.

“Just like with The Anchor, with the burgers, I get to play with different flavors," Walters said.

For the co-owner of The Anchor restaurant in Kingston, it starts at 5 a.m., working in a space that used to be The Anchor’s laundry room, which has now turned into a donut bakery.

Walters is not alone in the struggle to stay afloat during the pandemic.

According to the National Restaurant Association, about 15% of restaurants nationwide permanently closed in the last year. And it's not just COVID-19 that’s hurt business at The Anchor.

City construction outside the restaurant has made it impossible to park or walk there, at times.

“We’re just not really making enough to make the ends meet currently," Walters said.

Enter this sweet idea, decades in the making. Hole in the Wall donut shop was inspired by the same treats Walters used to make as a kid with her grandfather.

Just a few weeks into this new venture, Walters is making hundreds of donuts a day and experimenting with new flavors. Mango sriracha, strawberry cookie crumble and blueberry lemonade are just some of the flavors that are helping Walters consistently sell out. It’s still early, but so far, it’s been working.

“It's really supplementing that extra income that we’re losing, in such a way that it's mostly my manpower and hours. I have a couple of other employees helping, but it was a way without having to put forth more payroll, which is really hard to make right now," Walters said.

She says the hope is to increase donut production, buying bigger and better fryers and creating a rotation of fan favorites. All this extra effort is to make sure she can keep her business afloat and her workers employed.

“I look at that as a social contract I have, when I hire someone," Walters said. "They are going to work as hard as they can for me, and I’m going to work as hard as I can for them.”