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.
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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,