What Duck Donuts does

Duck Donuts Holdings, LLC is a US-based franchisor of made-to-order cake donut shops, founded in 2007 by Russ DiGilio in Duck, North Carolina, and now headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The core product is a customizable cake donut assembled through a three-step process (coating choice, topping selection, and drizzle finish), supplemented by donut hole dippers, dozen boxes, breakfast sandwiches, and handcrafted coffee across breakfast, snack, and dessert dayparts. The company operates approximately 130 franchise locations across the continental United States with active franchise sales in all states except Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and Arkansas, and an international master franchise program offering exclusive territory rights with 10-year terms.

Duck Donuts generates revenue through two primary streams: initial franchise fees and ongoing royalties tied to a $536,150-$774,500 estimated initial investment per unit, and indirect retail donut sales executed by independent franchisees at the store level. Distribution is exclusively franchise-based in the US and internationally, with supplementary revenue channels including Duck Trucks mobile catering, website/app-based online ordering for pickup, and a Paytronix-powered rewards program. The brand identity is anchored by the Ollie mascot and Outer Banks beach-town heritage, and supported by the Quack Gives Back community fundraising initiative.

The company's technology stack is light on proprietary IP and centered on third-party tools. Operationally, Duck Donuts consumes the Quantiiv ROGER AI platform to aggregate POS, financial, and marketing data into plain-language reports for the CEO, functioning as a hybrid CFO arrangement. Consumer-facing technology is limited to the Paytronix-powered Rewards mobile app and standard ad pixels (Meta, Google, Bing) plus Google Analytics. The franchise system relies on these outsourced platforms rather than in-house technology development.

Name

Duck Donuts

Legal name

Duck Donuts Holdings, LLC

Website

http://duckdonuts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Duck Donuts is a US-based franchise system specializing in made-to-order customizable cake donuts across approximately 130 locations, serving individual consumers, catering/event buyers, and franchisee entrepreneurs through its US and international franchise programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mechanicsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalty Income: Duck Donuts generates revenue through franchise fees including initial development fees and ongoing royalty payments from franchisees. Franchisees pay an initial investment ranging from $536,150 to $774,500 plus monthly royalties.
2. Retail Donut Sales: Direct retail sales of made-to-order donuts and related products through franchise locations. Customers customize donuts with coatings, toppings, and drizzles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Duck Donuts is a specialty donut franchise concept that sells made-to-order customizable cake donuts through franchise locations. Customers personalize each donut through a three-step process (coating, topping, and drizzle) and the menu extends to donut hole dippers, donut dozens, breakfast sandwiches, and fresh coffee. The business also licenses its brand to franchisees in the US and internationally.

Product overview

Duck Donuts is a made-to-order donut franchise concept centered on a customizable cake donut platform. The core product offering consists of made-to-order donuts created through a three-step customization process (coating, topping, drizzle), supplemented by Donut Hole Dippers, donut dozens, breakfast sandwiches, and fresh coffee for multiple dayparts. The company operates a Duck Donuts Rewards App (powered by Paytronix) for loyalty management and a catering service for events. Duck Donuts offers franchise opportunities in the US (with active sales in all states except Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and Arkansas) and internationally with exclusive territory rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Made-to-Order Donuts Customizable cake donuts prepared to order via a three-step process: choosing a coating (icing, glaze, or sugar), adding toppings (sprinkles, cookie crumbles, bacon, nuts, and more), and finishing with over 10 drizzle options. Sold to consumers at franchise retail locations.
• Donut Hole Dippers Bite-sized donut hole products available at Duck Donuts locations and through catering for events and parties.
• Donut Dozens Bulk quantities of donuts packaged as dozens, available for in-store purchase, catering, and events.
• Breakfast Sandwiches Breakfast sandwiches served at Duck Donuts locations, complementing the donut menu and coffee offerings.
• Fresh Coffee Handcrafted coffee beverages sold at Duck Donuts franchise locations to complement donut and breakfast sandwich sales.
• Catering Services Catering service for parties, gatherings, corporate events, and community fundraisers, featuring donut hole dippers, donut dozens, breakfast sandwiches, and fresh coffee.
• Duck Donuts Rewards App Mobile application that lets Duck Donuts guests earn rewards, receive birthday rewards and promotional offers, and place orders online for pickup at local franchise locations.
• Duck Donuts US Franchise Program Franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs to own and operate Duck Donuts retail locations in the United States, including real estate assistance, operations/training, and marketing support. Requires minimum liquid capital of $200,000 and minimum net worth of $400,000.
• Duck Donuts International Franchise Program International franchise opportunity offering exclusive development rights, an initial development fee, unit fees, and exclusive territory rights, paired with a 4-week training program.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• QuantiivcoreTechnology or Integration · 13 April 2026Duck Donuts partnered with Quantiiv to implement ROGER, an AI-powered decision platform that aggregates data from POS systems, financial tools, and marketing channels. Duck Donuts was an early adopter that used ROGER to overhaul its menu engineering process and gain greater visibility into unit economics. CEO Devon Mailey uses the platform more than a dozen times per week for reports and strategic insights. The platform is described as a hybrid CFO arrangement.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tim Hortons: Canadian-founded donut and coffee QSR with significant US presence. Comparable as a franchise-led coffee-and-donut platform competing for the same breakfast daypart and customizable beverage occasions.
• Dunkin': Mass-market donut and coffee chain with thousands of US locations. Operates in the same breakfast and snack occasion but at vastly greater scale, broader menu, and lower price points, competing for share-of-stomach and franchise talent.
• Einstein Bros Bagels: Franchised bakery-cafe chain focused on bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and coffee. Comparable as a franchise-led breakfast and baked-goods platform with similar daypart strategy and franchise economics.
• Cinnabon: Franchised specialty bakery concept focused on cinnamon rolls and adjacent baked goods. Comparable as a franchise-driven, category-specialist dessert brand competing for the same treat and catering occasions.

Direct peers

• Shipley Do-Nuts: Texas-based donut franchise chain with hundreds of locations across the southern US. Closely comparable franchise model, cake-donut-forward menu, and regional density strategy targeting similar franchisee profiles and customers.
• Voodoo Doughnut: Iconic specialty donut chain known for made-to-order, highly customizable creations with strong brand identity. Comparable as a premium, experience-led donut concept pursuing national expansion via company-owned and franchised locations.
• Daylight Donuts: Franchised donut shop chain with a long-standing franchise system across the central US. Directly comparable franchise economics, cake-style donut focus, and franchisee support model.
• LaMar's Donuts: Midwest-based donut franchise known for its artisan cake donuts and customizable toppings. Comparable as a regional donut franchise with made-to-order craft positioning similar to Duck Donuts.
• Krispy Kreme: Global donut franchise chain specializing in fresh, made-on-premise donuts. Directly comparable as a franchise-based donut concept competing for the same customer occasion and franchisee pool, though operating at significantly larger scale and broader product mix.

Regional players

• Top Pot Doughnuts: Pacific Northwest-based premium donut chain known for hand-forged, classic-style donuts and a craft brand identity. Comparable as a regionally focused, premium-positioned donut concept with similar made-to-order heritage, though geographically concentrated.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/duckdonuts
• Facebookfacebook.com/duckdonuts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duck Donuts