Hidden under a mess of scaffolding and plastic sheeting, Buckeye Donuts has hardly been visible from the street in recent weeks.
But inside, business is bustling.

“We are in a bubble,” said Jimmy Barouxis, the general manager of Buckeye Donuts, referring to the plastic sheeting that shroud the front of his business. “But people are still coming in.”

The construction, which started in the summer of 2008 to fix structural problems, was originally quoted to cost the business about $80,000. But the project went on hold after the University Area Commission added to the list of needed improvements. They told the business to install smaller windows and get rid of their well-known neon sign, something Barouxis said he was not happy about.

“They wanted us to go with current zoning,” he said. “I guess you got to change sometimes, but it’s looking better.”

The construction, which Barouxis said now totals about $130,000, resumed on the first day of Autumn Quarter 2009.

“That was a bummer,” Barouxis said. “That’s when we are supposed to be pushing business hard, but we had the construction to deal with.”

The construction did not put a damper on business, though. Barouxis said business was slightly better than usual during that time of the year.

“We did fine, I don’t know how we did it,” Barouxis said, throwing his hands up in the air and giving a laugh. “We should have been down but we weren’t.”

But Barouxis stressed that he and his staff had to work for it.

“Running a 24-hour business is hard enough, and then add the construction. We are working harder than ever,” Barouxis said.

He said the construction did deter Ohio State freshmen from coming in for a while, however.

“They weren’t coming in the first week,” he said. “But after two weeks they started coming in. Maybe they heard about us through word of mouth.”

Jenny Pfaff, a fourth-year in anthropology who has been coming to Buckeye Donuts regularly since her freshman year, said she is not bothered by the construction.

“It’s the same,” Pfaff said.

When asked what keeps her coming back, Pfaff simply said “the food.”

Daniel Dawson, a first-year in mechanical engineering, and Jia Yi Kang, a third-year in food science, shared lunch together at Buckeye Donuts last Tuesday afternoon.

“At first I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s closed,'” Dawson said. “But then I saw the arrows pointing toward the door.”

“I thought it was closed too until my friends told me it wasn’t,” Kang said.

Construction at Buckeye Donuts was scheduled to be finished this week, but the holiday season and cold weather have slowed progress, Barouxis said. He predicts his business will be construction-free by the beginning of February.