The first store was established in Bismarck in 2006. Then, in 2015, the business expanded to Mandan.

“It was just busy and the demand was there,” owner Kevin Cavanagh said. “We kind of thought it would spread things out a little bit but it only got busier.”

Moving to Minot was something that had been on the radar for about a year and a half until they found a location in the old Taco John’s, or more recently the Hula Grill.

For Minot residents who have been asking when Bearscat will be available in their hometown, the wait is finally over. Bearscat Bakehouse will officially open tomorrow.

The Bearscat Bakehouse sign is seen on Broadway, highlighting that they specialize in donuts. After their grand opening tomorrow, Bearscat will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Coming to the Minot store from Bismarck is JoDee Feist, who has been with Bearscat for years.

“She was actually planning on moving up to Minot,” Cavanagh said. “She moved and thought she would have to quit her job. It worked out beautifully for both of us.”

The name Bearscat comes out of an old cowboy dictionary and was actually a term for donuts, according to Cavanagh. After some convincing, his wife agreed on the Bearscat Bakehouse name.

With the name comes a creative product. The Bearscat donut is a chocolate donut that looks like scat. When it comes to picking a favorite, Cavanagh said, they are constantly experimenting with their products so they are always introducing new donuts. What may have been there one week could be replaced the next.

“We try to do as many wild flavors that we can come up with,” he said. “If we can find something crazy and put it on a donut, we’ll do it.”

These heart-shaped donuts were offered at Bearscat Bakehouse locations earlier this year for Valentine’s Day. The Bearscat crew is constantly looking for ways to spice up their selection.

To ensure fresh, quality donuts, the Bearscat team makes donuts throughout the day to guarantee the best donut possible. If visiting the store and a certain donut isn’t there, customers are able to ask and the team might be able to make it for them on the spot.

In addition to crazy donuts, the bakehouse will create special “signature” donuts for organizations and causes to help raise money. Recently, they made a donut for Parkinson’s that raised around $2,500 for the cause. They also had an animal donut with almonds as ears to raise money for the Central Dakota Humane Society.

The bakehouse also hates to be wasteful. Instead of throwing away unsold donuts at the end of the day, the store will pack them up and freeze them to be donated to the community.

“If there’s a need, just let us know,” Cavanagh said. “We’re happy to donate donuts.”

After their grand opening tomorrow, the store will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To learn more about Bearscat Bakehouse, visit its Facebook page or website, bearscatbakehouse.com.