Red Coach Donuts owner Stephanie Harrah and family

Red Coach Donuts Changing Hands

Red Coach Donuts owner Stephanie Harrah and family

Red Coach Donuts in Stevensville is changing owners. This April, after five years of working for Joy Bancroft, Executive Chef Stephanie Harrah will become the new owner, continuing to provide the exceptional Red Coach Donuts experience people have come to love and savor.

Five years ago, Harrah joined Red Coach for what she thought would be a part-time job. From that day forward, she says she has dedicated all her time and energy into making it a great place.

Asked about her approach as the new owner, Harrah says, “It’s just making sure we keep the customers happy and keep them coming back. We want to make sure they continue to love us and that we continue to put the love in the donuts, and hopefully we continue on for the next 20 years until we pass it on to the next person after we’re done.”

Harrah graduated from Lakeshore High School and played softball for Coach Denny Dock, but then left for the Pacific Northwest where she earned a 4.0 from Le Cordon Bleu/Western Culinary Institute in Portland. After three years, Harrah made her way back to Michigan to continue her culinary career.

Harrah says during her time “in the back of the house,” she spent half the time cooking and the other half baking. Somehow, she kept coming back to donuts. She says she likes to make them – it’s fun for her and she enjoys it. Being back in Southwest Michigan, she’s close to where she was raised, close to family, turning 40 years old, and ready to set roots. She says it’s very exciting to live out her dream in her hometown.


As for immediate changes, Harrah says there won’t be many. She’s considering opening an hour earlier (at 5 a.m.) so she can catch the early shift at the Cook Nuclear Plant. She’s also considering an afternoon service of donut grilled cheese sandwiches.

But even with the ownership change, Joy Bancroft says she’s not going anywhere. “Who doesn’t have a good time serving amazing donuts to people? I love being here. I enjoy the people. It’s just a really happy atmosphere.” Bancroft says in addition to being on-call at Red Coach, she will spend time helping at her daughter-in-law’s jewelry shop in New Buffalo and perhaps spend some more time on the golf course.

Bancroft says it was always the plan for her and her husband to build a business where every booth was filled, all the tables filled, and families enjoying the atmosphere. “I’ll miss that tremendously, but now we hope to come in, be able to sit amongst and enjoy the fellowship without the stress and the pressure.”

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