Why choose between ice cream or donuts when you could have both? That’s the idea behind five-unit Yonutz, which serves monster-sized “Smash” donuts, a combination of ice cream, donuts and a variety of toppings.
The specialty treat is constructed by slicing a donut in half, filing it with ice cream, smashing the donut and then adding toppings. Founder and CEO Tony Bahu’s personal favorite is the Sour Candy Smash, complete with vanilla ice cream, vanilla drizzle, Pop Rocks, Sour Patch Kids candy and sour spray.
“It sounds crazy—and it is—but it’s just such an interesting combination,” Bahu said.
Some runners-up are the Strawberry Shortcake Smash, with vanilla ice cream, vanilla drizzle and strawberry shortcake crumbs, and the Cookie Dough Smash, with cookie dough ice cream, chocolate drizzle, cookie dough bits and chocolate chips.
Bahu, who also created a mini donut concept called Dinky Donuts that has since closed, started Yonutz after buying an existing donut shop in Sunrise, Florida, just outside Fort Lauderdale, in 2018. “We literally gutted it from top to bottom,” Bahu said.
Right away, he knew he wasn’t trying to compete with other dessert concepts in the area.
“I said, ‘I’m gonna create something so off the charts that we’re not going to have competition,’” Bahu said. “So we developed the Smash donut.”
The brand has more than a dozen Smash donut varieties, and milkshake options to match. Customers can also pick up boxes of donuts in classic flavors. The creations cost between $8.95 and $14.95, with donut boxes running between $10.95 all the way to $59.95 for a 48-piece mini donut box.
Yonutz won a Miami dessert competition, Dessert Wars, in 2019 and 2020. The competition features dozens of vendors who make all sorts of desserts.
The brand is now franchising, with agreements signed to open about 20 stores in several states. “It’s really about finding someone who gets excited, because we’re so excited when we talk to people,” he said. “It’s just something that’s so fun that we want somebody who catches that fun. … Let’s enjoy life, you know?”
Bahu partnered with former “Shark Tank” judge Kevin Barrington to expand his Florida-based concept. The two met through a mutual connection. The donut chain now has locations in Florida, Oklahoma, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. Before taking on nationwide expansion, Bahu thought it best to rebrand Yonutz.
When he mentioned the idea to Harrington and his team, the group laughed because, typically, the hardest sell to a client is rebranding—and now Bahu was pitching the idea to them.
“I was like, ‘OK, you can laugh then. That’s fine,’” Bahu said.
Yonutz developed a new logo and brand manifesto to better align with Bahu’s vision for the brand. The biggest change is the overall look of the stores, which have been filled with bright colors to showcase Yonutz’ whimsical vibe.
“It’s fun, it’s kind of like you get to take a break from life for a few minutes and just be a kid again when you walk into these stores,” Bahu said. He thinks of Yonutz like a donut amusement park. “My goal is to really just have this be a part of what I hope is America’s everyday life in the future.”
“It’s fun. It’s fantastical,” Bahu said. “It’s this great dessert getaway.”
Yonutz’ step into franchising puts it into the ever-growing segment of treat franchises. Peach Cobbler Factory started franchising earlier this year and has more than 15 stores open while Jars, a concept from celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, has deals for 20 units and is opening a flagship corporate store this winter in Chicago. There are also many specialty cookie franchises and ice cream concepts vying for consumers’ and franchisees’ attention.
The top treats franchises raked in $9.8 billion in 2021, up 17.2 percent over 2020, according to the Franchise Times Top 500, which ranks the 500 largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales.