Arshie Kaur loves everything about Walker’s Doughnuts. In fact the former cherished employee at the Melbourne flagship store loves the business so much she opened her first franchise in late December 2023, and has another kiosk site already signed up.

It was just a coincidence that she discovered the brand, but the 25-year-old hasn’t looked back.

“When I came from India six years ago, I worked in my cousin’s cafe. A friend of mine was working there and doing shifts at Walker’s. I wanted more work so I started there in 2018, and I loved it!”

Even though Arshie was still a teenager, she had big dreams.

“I wanted to do something big, something on my own and I started thinking about what I could do. I realised I knew everything about Walker’s, and really enjoy working in the store, so why would I not buy a franchise?”

Buying into the franchise dream with Walkers Doughnuts

Arshie spoke with Walker’s Doughnuts’ founder Jim and Rose Stoupas about buying her own kiosk.

“Jim and Rose are always supportive, they treat us like family, and I really trust them. We talked about how I could get into business with them.”

The path to opening her first store hit some roadblocks. The first planned site near Geelong was postponed, and when Arshie was in the middle of the opening process for the Wallan location, she had to visit India for a family emergency.

“The franchisors were great because they oversaw all the construction and set-up of the build while I was away. I had to delay recruiting staff until I came back, but everything else went ahead as planned,” she explains.

She admits that hiring a team was a big challenge, and the Stoupas were invaluable in helping train and support the staff before and on opening day.

A sellout day kickstarts the business

“We opened on 20th of December. The day before we were setting up stock and we were so nervous, I knew it would be crazy.

“I was so excited, and I was at the store at 5am because I couldn’t sleep all night! By the time we opened, we had a queue of eager customers waiting for us to open.”

Arshie’s first day as a business owner was a huge success.

Walker’s Doughnuts delivers delicious, freshly baked doughnuts daily for staff in each store to fill and decorate the sweet treats in-store.

“At 12pm, I checked my order and decided we didn’t have enough doughnuts. We had to order three times that day, and we finished sold out of doughnuts!”

The fast pace continued all week through to Christmas, Arshie says.

“It settled down to a steady pace after the holiday season, and as we headed into Easter it ramped up again.

“At the start I worked all day, every day, helping my brand new staff settle into the job. We are open 6am to 6.30pm so the shifts were long!

“Now my staff are experienced they can open and close, so I am flexible with my shifts, and take days off too.”

Loving the brand, loving the location

The kiosk with seating is in the Wellington Square Shopping Centre in Wallan, 45 km north of Melbourne.

“The locals come in to us for coffees, hot dogs and doughnuts and there is no competition; there’s no cafe here,” says Arshie.

Customers love how fresh the doughnuts are every day, she says. 

“I love talking to people, making new friends – and making coffees – and this is a great spot. The other day a customer came in from the city and recognised me from the flagship store I used to work at! I love that everyone is so friendly.

“Walker’s is fun, and I love working with the team. Jim and Rose work very hard and are a real inspiration to me.”

The business is simple to operate, Arshie says, with rostering and ordering supplies the main admin tasks she must undertake.

“It’s very easy, when a store opens, we get guidance on what and how much to order from suppliers, and it is a very quick and simple process.”

Ready to expand the dream business

Arshie has learned a lot with Walker’s, improved her English, and fulfilled her dream.

She’s excited about the next step in her entrepreneurial career – opening a second store.

“My brother and family from India are coming over and we will manage it together. Whenever I get the chance, I’ll want to expand my business,” she says.

“My parents are very proud of me; it really surprised them how hard I have worked and what I have achieved. I couldn’t have done it without the support of the Walker’s Doughnuts team.”