Decibel Presents: DONUT4U

Homero Perez can give a review of Donut4U in just one word:

“Undefeated!” Perez says.

It’s a review he can–and does–give with a mouth full of buttery ham and cheese croissants. It’s his go-to order, though he admits his palate has changed since he first started coming here.

“I remember coming here as a kid, and it was amazing,” Perez says. “I’d get apple juice and a glazed donut. Can't go wrong with that.”

Perez grew up in Rundberg, just around the corner from Donut4U. He says he feels like the shop, much like Rundberg itself, often gets overlooked.

“I'm sad that it has such a bad reputation Because it doesn't deserve that reputation,” Perez says. “People here are welcoming and positive and it has the best donut shop in Austin.”

People always look out for each other,” Perez says. “They always let other people know to make sure the community is protected in some way and safe. And this donut shop is one of the best things around.”

So when he joined Austin PBS as a Fall 2025 production intern and was tasked with producing a short video, he knew exactly what he wanted to showcase. Perez reached out to the new owners and set out to showcase what it takes to run one of Rundberg’s best-loved donut shops. But challenges cropped up early–very early.

“I would say the most challenging thing about filming is being here very early in the morning, three, 4 a.m.,” Perez says. “If I want to make a donut, I can go back to my video and then follow it like a step by step tutorial, because I got every single step in there.”

BJ Forrest, the new owner of the Rundberg location, was happy to let Perez in on the secret to great donuts.

"Don't skimp," Forrest told Perez in their interview. "We don't skimp on anything and it costs a little bit more but in the end, it's a much better product and people will keep coming back for it."

But being in early not only yielded beautiful footage, it also let Perez capture the heart of the story–the shop’s place in the community.

“I got interaction with the customers because at the end of the day, my story is built about the community themselves,” says Perez. That was probably my favorite thing.”

Former owner Alexander Lu echoed that sentiment in his interview with Perez. Lu’s mother opened the shop over 10 years ago. Lu says that as the son of a Cambodian immigrant, he could relate to other first-generation Rundberg residents.

“I can relate to the kids that come in, their parents don’t know how to speak English,” Lu says in his interview. “I’ve been in that position so I relate to the kids.”

That sense of community has also been key in weathering the unpredictability of owning a shop, according to Lu. In his interview with Perez, Lu says that through uncertainty and even break-ins, neighbors were always there to have his family’s back.

“When the community gets robbed or gets hurt, we talk and we look out for each other,” Lu says. “We got each others’ back, because we can relate.”

Perez hopes his video showcases a community linchpin in the Rundberg area.

“Every day, they're grinding to make this store a better spot for the community.”