DELMARVA - A donut shop that started right here on Delmarva has made their small screen debut this week with the premiere of Apple TV’s new show 'Pluribus.'
Sandy Pony Donuts began as a food truck on Chincoteague in April 2015. Since then, owners and spouses Brea Reeves and Ben Wang have expanded the business to open locations in Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, and Annapolis.
Now, the donut shop is getting global attention with an appearance on a new show from Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad.
On Jul. 25, Apple TV released an ominous trailer for the upcoming series Pluribus, announcing the show would premier on Nov. 7. In the clip, a woman is seen licking multiple donuts before placing them back into their boxes. A sign below the boxes depicts a smiley face and reads “Help Yourself!”
The branding on those donut boxes? Sandy Pony Donuts.
Ben Wang of Sandy Pony Donuts tells WBOC that they were first approached by the showrunners two years ago after Gilligan had come across their story on Delmarva.
“That’s when they pitched the idea of ‘hey, something’s going to happen to people when they eat these donuts,’” Wang recalled the production team saying. “‘We can’t tell you too much further on that, but are you guys okay with that?’”
“Of course, me being me, I was just like ‘yeah, I’m good! Vince Gilligan wants us to be a part of his show that could come out in the near future? We’re good with it.”
Since the trailer depicting the donuts aired in July, Wang says Sandy Pony Donuts has received a deluge of callers asking if they’re a real donut shop.
“Since the show came out, it’s just been non-stop emails, DMs, and the craziest part it’s from people all around the world,” Wang tells us.
Wang says they sent about 100 dozen donuts in overnight shipments to the production in New Mexico to have them included in the show. The donuts shown, Sandy Pony Donuts’ popular Ms. Sandy menu item, were made in Bethany.
“If you see in the show, it was really cool because they didn’t get into detail with us about the donuts or what they were going to be used for, but it’s the exact way we put our donuts in the box checkered-style.”
Celebrating their tenth year in business since beginning as a Chincoteague food truck, Sandy Pony Donuts can now boast their global debut on a major streaming network.
You can learn more on Sandy Pony Donuts appearance on Pluribus here.