From a Craigslist find to 147 mobile trucks, Alex and Amanda Gingold grew DonutNV rapidly through franchising, hands-on support and a franchisee-first approach and are now eyeing global expansion.
Burned out by their careers in vending/amusement and luxury retail management respectively, the Gingolds spotted a Craigslist ad for used donut-making equipment that came with a kiosk. It planted a seed. And the DonutNV dream was born. Shortly thereafter, once timing allowed, that dream became a reality.
“One Tuesday, Amanda called me and said, ‘I just got fired.’ I said, ‘So, we’re doing donuts?’ And she agreed,” Alex said of the formative moment. “We bought the equipment the following weekend, got the lease and, after overcoming legal hurdles and permitting issues, opened Memorial Day weekend 2014. Lines wrapped around the kiosk. And we ran out of donuts that first day — our only day ever running out!”
Within two months of Amanda’s job loss, the Gingolds turned that kiosk into their first Cinnimini Donuts location at a mall in Philadelphia. In 2017, they rebranded as DonutNV, broadened the menu and began laying the groundwork for a scalable operation, franchising by 2019. The Gingolds were ahead of the then still-to-come food truck craze and today operate nearly 150 mobile donut-making trucks across the country, supporting franchisees following their unexpected pivot from business owners to franchisors.
Building their business organically without private equity or investors, the DonutNV story functions as a relatable franchising success story. Growing through a commitment to both franchisees and community has allowed DonutNV to scale with a franchisee-first mindset as the business eyes a 2026 goal of international expansion.
Growth Through Innovation and Community
The menu evolved alongside the brand. By 2017, the Gingolds had added seven freshly squeezed lemonade flavors — even as some competitors began to cut costs with concentrated juices — and a variety of toppings to their vanilla cake mini-donut base.
As part of the growth, the Gingolds were able to partner with franchisees to make a difference at the local level, an increasingly impactful element of their approach to franchising.
“Customers requested us at weddings, corporate events and festivals. Our relationship with Simon Premium Outlets grew. We opened more trailers and later a truck, including locations in Florida and Pennsylvania,” Alex said. “And we partnered with [Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame wide receiver] Donald Driver for the ‘Donut Smackdown’ fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, raising $167,000. That event will go national next year.”
Laying the Franchising Foundation
Responsible scaling with a focus on franchisees remains a priority. As DonutNV’s popularity rose, the Gingolds became acutely aware that the growth they hoped for would require strong legal expertise. By the time DonutNV had signed its first franchisee in 2019, the mobile franchise had already built the infrastructure necessary to deliver franchisee support via a dependable system predicated on strong operations, training and logistics, giving owners confidence and stability during a tumultuous period.
In the spring of 2025, DonutNV hired Spadea Lignana franchise attorneys to help them with their next stage of growth.
“I always said one day I’d hire Tom Spadea as my attorney,” Alex said. “He was part of our rebrand in 2017 into 2018, before we franchised, when we rebranded from Cinnimini to DonutNV. He had helped me through trademark issues before and he saved me a lot of money. So, I always said one day when I could affo
The In-House Difference
Franchising, the Gingolds quickly learned, requires careful selection and ongoing support.
When franchisees began having issues with a trailer manufacturer that was slow to address warranty issues, the Gingolds stepped in behind the scenes to fix a timely, critical issue for franchisees — a clear example of the couple’s hands-on approach to their role as franchisors.
Streamlining operations, DonutNV soon began to place a premium on further infrastructure improvements, bringing manufacturing of the donut mix in-house via a new facility in Georgia that combines the corporate office with a training facility and logistics center. The move enables closer oversight of quality than outsourcing and helps minimize the impact of fluctuating tariffs, ultimately lowering overhead.
DonutNV further supports franchisees with a flat royalty model, enabling owners to retain a greater portion of the overall profits.
“COVID delayed some expansion. But we focused on supporting our initial franchisees and refining processes: trailer manufacturing, donut mix production, logistics and scaling. By mid-2022, we grew from 14 franchises to 40 and then nearly 100 by the end of 2023. We currently operate 147 open locations,” Alex said. “The right franchisee is key. Many assume buying a franchise is simple, but having committed, capable operators is critical. We focus on supporting them, not micromanaging.”
A Sweet Future
With its commitment to community and franchisees — and great donuts — DonutNV has scaled responsibly. Bringing together manufacturing, management and logistics under one roof has helped lower overhead, delivering even greater benefits to franchisees under the flat royalty model.
From Craigslist to a thriving franchise in just about a decade, the DonutNV story is one of organic growth and success in franchising. Partnering with Spadea Lignana helped fuel early growth; the Gingolds are capitalizing on that experience to roll out an aggressive expansion plan for 2026 and beyond.
“We’re approaching 150 open units with a goal of 500-plus. So, looking ahead to 2026, we aim for international expansion, starting in the Bahamas,” Alex said. “Our goal remains making the world a sweeter place, delivering memorable experiences and supporting our franchisees.”
