Shipley Do-Nuts, makers of gourmet, made-fresh-daily do-nuts for 85 years, has inked deals with two veteran multiunit operators to develop up to 20 additional locations in the North Texas and South Texas regions.
Mohammed Ahmed, a multi-brand franchisee who owns more than 95 Jack in the Box restaurants in Texas markets, as well as Denny’s, Church’s Chicken and Mr. Gatti’s Pizza locations, will open his first Shipley Do-Nuts in Weslaco this spring.
“As a 35-year resident of Houston, I’ve been a longtime fan of Shipley Do-Nuts – they are the only do-nuts my family and I like – and I’ve been impressed at the company’s growth over the past year with the new ownership group and leadership team,” says Ahmed. “I want to be part of this company’s success. Adding Shipley to my brand portfolio will strengthen the morning daypart across my business with a high-quality, craveable product that is superior to other do-nut brands.”
Shipley, which first began selling its famous hot, fresh do-nuts in Houston in 1936, is coming off a record-setting year for unit growth. The company currently has agreements in place to open more than 350 new locations throughout Texas, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida and Colorado over the next five years.
The company is also expanding in North Texas, with Houston restaurateur Sam Khader upping his current development deal to 15 from its original six. Khader, who owns and operates his family’s Dimassi’s Mediterranean Buffet concept, with about 25 locations in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and McAllen, will open his first Shipley Do-Nuts in North Dallas near Addison in June. His new agreement includes additional locations in Corsicana, Ennis, Mesquite, Forney, Greenville and Terrell.
“Like so many Houstonians, I grew up eating Shipley Do-Nuts with my family every Sunday, and when I moved to Dallas, I wanted to continue that tradition with my son,” says Khader. “Shipley presents a great opportunity personally and from a business perspective, especially with the company’s new leadership that is focused on growth, franchisee success and guest experience. I look forward to bringing my love for Shipley to new generations of North Texans.”
Shipley and Khader were in the process of finalizing the North Texas development agreement in Q4 2021 when the company announced that the DFW market was sold out. With the deal signed, there are now a total of 45 new Shipley locations planned for DFW and North Texas.
“Shipley’s unprecedented growth is being fueled by experienced multiunit operators like Mohammed and Sam who see the brand’s phenomenal potential,” says Shipley Do-Nuts CEO Clifton Rutledge. “Our strategy has been to continue building out our home markets in Texas, where fans know and love us, while also working to bring ‘The World’s Greatest Do-Nut’ to new markets like Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia and beyond.”
Shipley is actively recruiting franchisees in across a wide variety of markets, with a focus on increasing its presence in Colorado, Oklahoma and the Southeast.
