Why is Bendigo business owner Adam Parsons such a passionate advocate for Walker’s Doughnuts?

Adam opened his first store in the city centre in mid-2021 to a rush of eager customers.

“The start was one of the best experiences of my life, we had lines of customers for days. No-one expected the sales we made or for a new business to have such local community support.

“The people of Bendigo opened their arms and said, ‘We’re in’ and it was awesome,” Adam says.

However, Adam’s love for the brand was firmly entrenched before this hugely successful store launch.

After carving out a career in hospitality, first as a waiter, then in hotel and restaurant management, he joined Walker’s Doughnuts to run operations.

A passion for Walker’s Doughnuts

“It was a great environment to learn, it has a very boutique feel. The founders, Jim and Rose Stoupas, are rigorous in the way they run the business but they are driven by product quality not profit,” he says.

Adam’s early experience in the doughnut world was framed by Covid. He started in December 2019 and after two months the role had changed significantly as the pandemic took hold of the country.

“I got to see what Rose and Jim are made of – they were awesome. We looked at how we can support all the businesses and I worked really hard,” he says.

It wasn’t long before Adam was tempted to jump into business ownership himself.

“I’m not afraid of hard work, and I could see the success of our franchisees,” he says.

Adam raised his hand as a potential franchisee just as the perfect opportunity emerged.

“It was advantageous to have someone familiar with the business to launch the first Bendigo store. And it worked for me personally; my kids live with their mother in Castlemaine, half an hour away. Everything aligned,” Adam says.

Opening the first store in Bendigo

So mid-2021, with his partner Zulma, Adam opened the brand new flagship store in Bendigo Marketplace, the first to bake its doughnuts on-site.

While the main factory provides local franchisees with fresh doughnuts which are then decorated in-store, Bendigo’s distance from Melbourne made this impractical.

“So our doughnuts are the freshest! We are a 24-hour operation. Once the store shuts at 10.30pm, the bakers are baking through the night. If we have a busy day, we do a second bake in the afternoon,” Adam says.

On-site baking is an investment in time, staff and money, but it gives Adam and Zulma more control over the production flow.

That suits his focus on fundraising and community work. Adam regularly donates doughnuts across the city in partnership with charities and organisations.

“Many people know the original Walker’s Doughnuts store in Flinders Street, Melbourne but it’s important to do brand building when you start your business.

“I engage a lot with community; it’s part of my personality. I show up with a bag of doughnuts to whatever party I’m attending!

“I’m very proud of the product, and doughnuts make people smile; when you see people’s reactions, it’s hard not to be pleased.

“People do know what a fresh doughnut tastes like, and we’re really proud of how fresh ours are. We get to hold that mantle high at Bendigo,” Adam says.

“Zulma manages all quality control and decoration standards. She works like crazy. I get the call at 1am to fix a problem with machinery, she gets the phone calls at 5am to help decorate doughnuts!”

Walker’s Doughnuts franchisee takes on multi-store ownership

The pair love the business so much they expanded into a second store, a classic Walkers Doughnuts kiosk, a year after launching in Bendigo.

The second store is in Epsom, a growing suburb just 13 minutes away from the main store.

“I deliver the doughnuts there; we decorate them at Marketplace and in-store, we work together as one team,” he says.

Adam has about 30 staff, some of whom rotate between the two stores. With a solid infrastructure and plenty of baking capacity, he is well set up for growth.

“I would have another store in a heartbeat!” he says.

Loving customer service

“My joy is serving customers; I love serving and being under the pump, making nice hot dogs and great coffee. I spent 12 months trying not to serve customers but I love it!

“I’m really proud of the business and I want to be out there at the front. Nothing makes me happier than a 12-hour shift, boxes of doughnuts lined up, and selling record numbers – that’s the best day ever!”

Great franchisors back up his success.

“Rose and Jim don’t squash enthusiasm; they ensure we always have the brand at the heart of what we do. They want their franchisees to be successful.

“It’s a franchise of passion. You are giving customers a product, you have to be there, to decorate doughnuts and make coffee with love, and hire staff who love the brand; it’s a franchise for people who want to be in hospitality.

“With a good business partner, and good staff, and people who love Walker’s Doughnuts, you can’t really go wrong,” Adam says.