Virentes Partners Group, an expanding franchise group franchising brands like Sweet Paris and Saigon Hustle, has embarked on a project to open more than twenty outposts of specialty donut chain Shipley Do-Nuts. Their next stop? Clearwater, where a new Shipley will open at 4000 Ulmerton Road.
“We’re in construction right now, and we’re hopeful to have it open by the first week of December,” Virentes Managing Member Jim D’Aquila told What Now on Wednesday. “This will before our fourth opened location: after Jacksonville, Orlando, and Nashville. We’ve got about another twenty to go.”
Shipley Do-Nuts serves up donut varieties like Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, Devil’s Food Filled, and Cinnamon Sugar Cake. It’s also famous for its kolaches, a Texas phenomenon brought to the state by Czech immigrants. It’s a “breakfast pastry filled with sweet creams or fruit jams”; on the Shipley’s menu, it also includes savory fillings, based on the original meat-and-cheese version, called the klobásník (“which many believe was invented in Texas”).
“It’s been a wonderful relationship with Shipley,” D’Aquila told What Now. “The product is exceptional, and the management is extremely capable. It’s a unique niche in the market, in terms of artisanal mom-and-pop shops where you bake and fry donuts all day long.”
The Ulmerton Road location, D’Aquila says, is in an endcap space with drive-thru. It’s only the first location planned for the Greater Tampa Bay market.
“We’re really excited for that area. The Greater Tampa Bay Area is our number one focus for all three of our brands.”
You can keep up with all things Shipley Do-Nuts by following @shipleydonuts on Instagram.
