How do you get an 87-year-old brand ready for expansion?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Flynn Dekker, the CEO of the 352-unit donut and kolache chain Shipley Do-Nuts.

Shipley is an institution in its hometown of Houston, something Dekker discovered after he took over as CEO last year.

But it is also an old brand. It’s been around for nearly 90 years. The longtime family-owned chain was sold to Peak Rock Capital in 2021 and since then has taken numerous steps to change operations and processes to bring it into a more modern age.

We talk about all of that on the podcast, including the company’s efforts on marketing and what that's doing to the brand, along with processes, franchising and technology. We also talk about kolaches and what that does for the brand’s business.

It’s a fascinating conversation with an interesting brand, so check it out.