Donut shop, while revenues surge, bites into expansion

TAMPA — A year after opening, Tampa-based Little Donut House has greatly expanded its menu and is looking to open a second location in the Tampa Bay region. Founder and owner Stephen Schab says the company’s revenue is up by 63%, year-over-year, and that he’s evaluating sites in St. Petersburg, Wesley Chapel, Trinity and Brandon for a second location.

Little Donut Shop opened in May 2017 at 4048 W. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa and its simple menu of coffee and mini donuts proved a hit with customers.

Schab has gradually added items like breakfast sandwiches and bagels to the menu, and on Aug. 18 he and Katie Schab, his wife and business partner, will introduce a dozen new offerings, including lunch sandwiches and salads, during a new menu launch party that’s open to the public, according to a statement. They will also unveil expansions and additions to the restaurant, including 20 feet of booth seating, couches, cozy chairs and newly painted wall murals, according to a press release.

“Being a small family business is awesome because it gives us the opportunity to mold our concept based on customer feedback,” Stephen Schab states in the release. “Our long-term goal is to have many Little Donut Houses across the country. But first we had to perfect our concept. This latest expansion will be ‘the icing on the donut.’  Appealing to both the breakfast and lunch crowd furthers the stability of the business, making it ready for expansion.” 

Schab adds, “Successful expansion requires serious discipline and execution. Physically making a donut or sandwich is easy; building and operating a café is extremely challenging. The key to long-term and replicable success is robust, customer-oriented processes and procedures and this is what we excel at.”