Popular Donut Franchises to Invest in
Explore the top 10 donut franchises offering robust support and growth potential for aspiring entrepreneurs. From Dunkin’ Donuts to Krispy Kreme, find the perfect investment opportunity in the delicious world of donuts!
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Franchising is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs that want to start their own business, but would also want to use the structure, support, and success of an established brand. Using those factors to your advantage can facilitate your entrepreneurial journey. By franchising a reliable brand, you can also have access to initial and ongoing training from that brand. A donut franchise can be a great franchise to invest your money in. In this article, we will discuss the 10 best donut franchises, ordering them by growth rate.
10 Best Donut Franchise
Shipley Donuts
- Founded in 1936
- Total U.S. Locations: 330
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): 56
- Franchising since 1987
- Franchise units: 330
- Investment Range: $450K-$822K
- Royalty Fees: 5%
Shipley Franchise Company franchises retail restaurants that utilize the Shipley system. By having a Shiply Donut franchise, you will have to sell all Shipley-related goods, which include coffee, donuts, and more.
Duck Donuts
- Founded in 2012
- Total U.S. Locations: 112
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): 29
- Franchising since 2013
- Franchise units: 111
- Investment Range: $424K-$649K
- Royalty Fees: 5%
Duck Donuts is a unique donut franchise that has franchises around the U.S. What makes them different from several other donut shops is that they allow to customize their own donuts. For example, customers can choose their favorite flavors and add their favorite topics. Duck Donuts help their franchisees with everything that they need to get started. This includes the initial investment, training, and support.
DonutNV
- Founded in 2018
- Total U.S. Locations: 17
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): 16
- Franchising since 2018
- Franchise units: 16
- Investment Range: $185K-$254K
- Royalty Fees: N/A
Based in Orlando, FL, DonutNV donut franchise is focused on the mini donut business. They specialize in preparing, cooking, and serving mini donuts, along with other food items. By opening a DonutNV franchise, you will have a mobile mini donut business that is known to cater different events. These events include parties, coroporate events, and several other events.
Randys Donuts
- Founded in 1982
- Total U.S. Locations: 13
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): 5
- Franchising since 2017
- Franchise units: 5
- Investment Range: $606K-$749K
- Royalty Fees: 5%
Randys Donuts donut franchise has their headquarters in Englewood, California, and started franchising in 2017. IN the three year between 2020-2022, they had a net unit growth of 5 donut franchises.
Doughnuttery
- Founded in 2017
- Total U.S. Locations: 5
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): 1
- Franchising since 2018
- Franchise units: 1
- Investment Range: $175K-$322K
- Royalty Fees: N/A
Doughnuttery is based in Westport, CT, and they are a donut franchise that offers donuts, coffee, and food.
Hurts Donut Company
- Founded in 2013
- Total U.S. Locations: 20
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): -1
- Franchising since 2015
- Franchise units: 18
- Investment Range: $502K-$819K
- Royalty Fees: 7%
It is important to know the costs required to run a Hurts Donut Company franchise. For instance, a franchise fee is one of the costs that you need to account for. Additionally, there are working capital costs alongside other costs that are required to run the franchise. Also, it’s recommended that you save some additional funds to live off of until your franchise progresses. You should speak to at least 5 Hurts Donut Company franchisees to understand the real costs of opening this franchise and to learn from their experiences.
Winchell’s Donut House
- Founded in 2004
- Total U.S. Locations: 33
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): -3
- Franchising since 2004
- Franchise units: 33
- Investment Range: $3K-$72K
- Royalty Fees: 5%
Winchell’s Donut House is based in City of Industry, CA. By owning this franchise you will sell donuts, pastries, and coffee along with other beverages. You could also sell sandwiches if it’s permitted by the terms of the master lease.
Tim Hortons
- Founded in 1984
- Total U.S. Locations: 636
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): -20
- Franchising since 2007
- Franchise units: 636
- Investment Range: $124K-$2.14M
- Royalty Fees: N/A
Tim Hortons is an incredibly successful coffeehouse restaurant chain that sells, coffee, non-alcoholic beverages, sandwiches, soups, and, of course, donuts.
Krispy Kreme
- Founded in 1937
- Total U.S. Locations: 368
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): -82
- Franchising since 1950
- Franchise units: 123
- Investment Range: $623K-$4.33M
- Royalty Fees: 5%
Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Krispy Kreme is one of the most popular donut stores in the U.S. They have a very well-known brand name, which is a green flag for potential franchise owners like you. Franchises for Krispy Kreme Stores are offered in 4 different Store formats: Factory Stores, Tunnel Oven Shops, Fresh Shops, and Box Shops.
Dunkin’ Donuts
- Founded in 1950
- Total U.S. Locations: 8118
- Net Unit Growth (3 years): -195
- Franchising since 1955
- Franchise units: 8087
- Investment Range: $121K-$1.81M
- Royalty Fees: 6%
Based in Atlanta, GA, Dunkin’ Donuts is one of the most popular places that sells coffee, donuts, bagels, and several other bakery and food products. Dunkin’ Donuts is a successful business that is recognized worldwide, which is good news for you as a franchisee. They help support franchisees by offering ongoing training and development programs in addition to comprehensive marketing programs.
Conclusion
There are several donut franchises with great potential to choose from. In this article, ranked by growth rate, we discussed our 10 best donut franchises.
