The DonutNV Las Vegas Franchise Success Story: What’s Their Secret?
DonutNV Las Vegas is the franchise seller’s most celebrated success story. In addition to her hard work & long hours, franchisees say Vegas owner Nicole Porretto-Bacon has a unique “in” with the The Clark County School District (CCSD). While Krispy Kreme and Lil Orbits have been denied access during school hours for not meeting the requirements of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, two DonutNV trailers currently serve deep-fried mini-donuts to students at multiple elementary schools per week. Other franchisees want to know: What’s their secret? by Sean Kelly
Franchises are sold through stories.
Franchisee success stories, to be more precise.
And those success stories are often documented in the Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) section of the the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) given to prospective franchisees considering the life-changing franchise investment. Since franchise examiners in a just a few registration states actually review the FDD, franchise sellers have been known to tout franchisee success stories that appear to validate the concept and motivate buyers but, are not, in fact, duplicatable.
These Unicorn success stories can occur when the franchisee’s success can be attributed to a specific and unique customer relationship and revenue stream (Experimac), or when the “startup” franchisee actually converted a long-established business (You Move Me) , or the franchisor showcases the financials of “legacy” owners operating under much different contracts & fee structures (Fetch! Pet Care).
It will be interesting to see which success stories are included in the 2025 DonutNV FDD due to be released by the end of April.
Please share your candid & confidential opinions and information with an anonymous comment below, or by emailing the author at UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail[dot]com.
DonutNV Las Vegas is the Franchise Seller’s Most Compelling Success Story
Struggling and underperforming DonutNV franchise owners claim the franchisor uses the success of Las Vegas franchisees Nicole Porretto-Bacon and her husband Scott Bacon to blame them, and not the concept, lack of support, or pre-sale misrepresentations, for poor performance.
None of the franchisees who contacted me deny that the Bacons have put in long and arduous hours building up their multiple territories.
They claim that the sheer size and massive population of the Bacon’s market, which includes both Las Vegas & Henderson, NV, is also a factor.
However, they claim that the success of the Las Vegas franchise is due, significantly, to their unique relationship with the Clark County School District.
They do not understand how the Las Vegas franchisees are allowed to regularly sell deep-fried donuts with sugary toppings and large cups of sugary lemonade during school hours at elementary, middle and high schools in the Clark County School District.
If there is a way they could initiate such a program, they say, it could save their businesses.
Clark County School District: Healthy Snacks Must be Made with 50% (or More) Whole Grains & Have 200 Calories Or Less Per Serving
Nicole Porretto-Bacon posts weekly schedules for two DonutNV trailers that include multiple stops at schools during school hours.
She has posted other visits and fundraisers during school hours as well.
What’s got franchisees puzzled is that the normal DonutNV product line does not seem to comply with the Healthy Snacking guidelines:
- The smallest portion sold is a Small bag (6-7 mini-donuts) that DonutNV claims has 270 – 654 calories.
- The Large bag of 12 donuts is represented as 540-1215 Calories.
- The fresh squeezed lemonade is not an approved beverage in Clark County schools
- DonutNV lemonade is sold in 16 oz and 32 oz cups; beverage quantities are limited to 8 oz or 12 oz
CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULATION R-5157
DENIED: Krispy Kreme, Lil Orbits Donuts, Goldfish, Popcorn, Mini-Pretzels & Dill Pickle Spear
Clark County School District Smart Snack Approval List:
Lil Orbits Donut – DENIED
Krispy Kreme Glazed Donut – DENIED
Cheddar Goldfish Crackers – DENIED
Also Denied:
Skinny Pop Popcorn – DENIED
Snyders Mini-Pretzels – DENIED
Dill Pickle Spear – DENIED
APPROVED: DonutNV Whole Wheat Donut (1 Mini-Donut)
The Clark County School District lists the DonutNV Whole Wheat Donut among its approved snacks, despite the fact that DonutNV doesn’t sell single donuts (to my knowledge) and no franchisees report having seen or tasted a DonutNV whole wheat donut.
DonutNV Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade – Not Submitted
DonutNV Regular Mini-Donut – Not Submitted
DonutNV Toppings – Not Submitted
Donut NV Whole Grain Donut – APPROVED
Also Read:
Is the DonutNV Franchise Too Good to be True?
DonutNV Franchise Earnings Claims: Accurate? Or Intentionally Deceptive?
Franchise Brokers: Have ZERO DonutNV Franchise Owners Failed?
Do DonutNV Franchise Sellers Support Free Speech & Full Disclosure?
Has IFPG Stopped Promoting the DonutNV Franchise?
NEW:
Has IFPG Stopped Promoting the DonutNV Franchise?
DonutNV References/Documentation:
DonutNV 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)
Are you familiar with the DonutNV franchise opportunity? With Alex & Amanda Gingold?
Are you familiar with the Health Claims and Clark County School claims?
Please leave a comment below or email us, in confidence, at UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail[dot]com.
Franchisors: The franchisor, franchisees, its employees and agents or others discussed herein are invited to submit correction, clarifications, rebuttals or other opinions for immediate consideration.
UnhappyFranchisee.com is not associated with this or other franchise company or seller.
Tags: DonutNV Las Vegas, Nicole Porretto-Bacon, Scott Bacon, Clark County School District, DonutNV, DonutNV franchise, DonutNV franchise earnings, DonutNV franchise opportunity, Donut franchise, Franchise Fastlane, Alex Gingold, Amanda Gingold, Jake Hamburger, Franchise Sidekick, Franchoice, IFPG, Franserve, Franchise Brokers Association,
I’ve read all your articles and I am confused about a lot. Multiple franchisees have 2 trucks and a few have 3 trucks. According to the internet that means they have 20-30 thousand in frnachise fees alone a year. These trucks must be successful to pay that on top of regular life expenses.
For this article though, is the school board turning a blind eye or are they truly that unaware of what’s going on in their schools? Could the times actually be non school times that they are visiting? It seems rich to think a whole school board is also in cahoots with this business. It seems more likely it’s all legit? Correct me if I’m wrong please.
I was really surprised to find out that DONUTNV doesn’t offer a whole wheat donut, though they reportedly submitted that idea to the school board. Personally, I wouldn’t be comfortable knowing my child could buy donuts loaded with sugary toppings during school hours. On top of that, they don’t sell individual donuts – you have to buy at least six! After reading some articles about this company, it seems like they might not be as transparent as they claim to be.
Anonymous:
Thanks for commenting and for your excellent questions.
“These trucks must be successful to pay that on top of regular life expenses.”
Franchisees generally get financing to include working capital and pay those fees before they even start operating. Many (perhaps most) have been operating for a year or less. Some, like Las Vegas, seem to be doing well. Others are reportedly losing money and/or have left the system. The investment is $189,000 to $270,000. There is one operating franchise currently advertised for sale for $49,995.
https://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/lucrative-dessert-truck/2262647/
“Could the times actually be non school times that they are visiting?”
The regulations define the hours as being between midnight the evening before through 30 minutes past the end of school hours. The LV elementary school hours could vary but those I checked were 7:30-4:00. So the healthy food requirement would be in effect until 4:30 PM.
The schedule I posted shows visit times to elementary schools of 1:30 – 3:00 and 2:30 – 4:00.
The top header graphic shows promotions of 1:30 to 4:30 and lunchtime as well.
“is the school board turning a blind eye or are they truly that unaware of what’s going on in their schools?…It seems rich to think a whole school board is also in cahoots with this business.”
I agree. It’s more likely that they’re not aware.
I doubt the administrators of the schools on the schedule are aware either. It would be interesting to know who is coordinating this visit schedule with DonutNV.
Also… how the donation money is being accounted for…
What’s curious is that DonutNV got approved on the basis of nutrition information submitted for a single whole grain donut (no toppings) which is posted on the District’s website.
DonutNV franchisees report that they don’t have a whole grain donut and aren’t aware of any whole grain mix available.
Also curious is the serving/portion size is a single mini-donut. They don’t sell single donuts. A Small bag is 6-7 mini-donuts.
Additionally, they didn’t include nutrition info for toppings.
Finally, fresh squeezed lemonade is not an approved beverage. Anyone who’s made it knows it’s loaded with sugar.
Sorry, more questions than answers!