Put A Ring On It

There are no holes in Donut King’s business model, says new franchisee family

In food retail, the trick is to combine a popular product with the right location. This formula has resulted in outstanding success for Kelly Winter, who opened her Donut King franchise in the South Island’s Richmond Mall in May 2022.

‘One of the most common comments by customers was that they couldn’t believe it had taken Donut King so long to get here,’ Kelly says happily. ‘We’ve had only positive feedback and our financial position is ahead of predictions. In short, we are doing nicely!’

Kelly trained as a legal executive but was determined to find an opportunity her entire family could be involved with. ‘Other than assisting my husband Jason in his contracting business, I had no experience outside my legal background. It was important for me to find an opportunity with lower risk as I didn’t fancy starting on my own, so a well-known franchise had obvious appeal. With my legal brain firmly in place I did a great deal of research and when Donut King came on my radar, I quickly felt it was the right fit.’

No experience needed

Donut King opened their first store in Sydney in 1981. Since then, the franchise has expanded to more than 300 stores throughout New Zealand and Australia and is a firm favourite with people of all ages.

‘To become a franchisee, you don’t need baking experience,’ says Donut King’s New Zealand General Manager, Bram Milne-Rodrigues, a highlyexperienced franchise executive who joined the company earlier this year to accelerate its growth here.

‘This system has been proven all over Australasia. We provide you with all the training you need to cook and present the product properly, with systems that make it a very easy business to manage.

‘Most franchisees employ a baker so that they can concentrate on serving customers and the financial side although some, like Kelly, love to do part of the baking themselves. But whether you bake, serve at front of house, or prefer the back office, the sweet simplicity of the business model means you can focus on growing your business. You will need good communication skills, though, as you’ll need to be able to switch roles, befriend customers and lead staff.’

Surprisingly easy

Kelly found getting into her own business surprisingly easy. ‘Donut King promised a turn-key operation, and they delivered. I had thought the new Richmond Mall would be a great location, but the Donut King team counted the foot traffic from every entrance to confirm that and helped ensure the right site.’

Being in a mall did bring several problems that Kelly thinks would have been ‘difficult if not impossible’ to resolve without the franchise behind her. ‘The sheer scale of the documentation was staggering, and post-Covid delays made things even more complicated. Through all this, Donut King worked impressively hard on our behalf and have continued to do so ever since. I admit I had sleepless nights but you must take a risk in life and, thanks to the franchise, it has certainly paid off.’

Kelly speaks very highly of the training the franchise gave her at a Donut King outlet in Palmerston North. ‘I went there with my donut decorator – yes, that’s a role – who is also my mum. After a week we felt we knew just what to do when the big day came. Like any business it has been learning on the job ever since, and I can’t speak highly enough of the support the franchise has given us.’

Kelly Winter (right) and a friend celebrating gumboot day in her new richmond mall store

Rewarding business

Has Donut King met Kelly’s expectations? ‘Oh yes, I never wake up thinking I don’t want to go to work in the morning! We are in a very good location, and the business is rewarding my entire family. Jason and I have four daughters between us, and all the family are involved, as I hoped. The two eldest work in the shop after school, the younger ones are learning all about business as they grow with it, Jason comes in and cleans at night and Mum is a crucial part of the equation.

‘I’ve done no advertising at all yet because the brand has done it all for me – another advantage of buying such a well-known name. Our customers know us well, and come to us in droves for our mouthwatering selection of donuts, coffee, cold beverages, ice creams, toasted sandwiches and hot dogs. I’d have no hesitation in opening another store tomorrow!’

Family-friendly, fun and profitable

Bram sums up the appeal of the franchise. ‘Everybody loves donuts, and Donut King has an extremely successful business model specifically designed for shopping centres. The investment for a fully equipped turn-key store including equipment, training and initial franchise fee ranges from $280,000 to $350,000 +gst, depending on site

. ‘There are many opportunities all over the country and we are very keen to get Kiwis into the big gaps to reach this lucrative market. If you’re looking for a familyfriendly, fun and, above all, profitable business, call me right now.’

Advertiser Info

Donut King

www.donutking.co.nz

Contact Bram Milne-Rodrigues

P 022 424 6528

bram@donutking.co.nz