FSR March 2023

®

®

The Do-Right Attitude S T A R T T O F I N I S H

Shipley Do-Nuts CEO Clifton Rutledge is bringing decades of experience to a legacy brand ready for its next act.

franchisees while still pro viding excellent customer experience. For example, we’re currently rolling out online ordering, which is being very well received by our guests and raising our average ticket for our fran chisees. Later this year, we’ll be launching a loyalty pro gram and gift cards that can be redeemed at any Shipley Do-Nuts. We’ve a l so launched a new cof fee program to provide a consistent, high quality cof fee experience across our entire system. Can you believe we were serving something like 35 different kinds of coffee across our sys tem until just recently? The new coffee, which includes a new hot coffee and two f la vors of cold brew, will not only improve guest experi ence but also drive sales as

What was your first job? I was a busboy at Bonanza Family Steak House at the age of 14. What’s your favorite menu item at Shipley Do-Nuts? This may be a controver sial pick, but I just love our kolaches. I know, we have the World’s Greatest Do-Nut and I pick the kolache, but I stand by my choice. What’s your favorite cuisine aside from Shipley Do-Nuts? I enjoy fine dining, and I love a good meal at Bludorn, a locally owned restau rant in Houston. It’s very rooted in the flavors of the Gulf Coast with French inspiration. Who inspires you as a leader? My grandfather. He was a wonderful man of integrity with an impec cable work ethic. He was a World War II hero who led by example and his great actions versus just his words. He was definitely a man’s man who portrayed great strength, but also had a kind, gentle heart. What’s the best piece of advice that other restaurant executives should hear? Understand that leadership is a privilege and do not take it for granted. What are some of your interests out side of work? Hunt ing, fishing, and golf. I love to be outdoors.

QSR FSR

 CLIFTON RUTLEDGE

I’VE BEEN IN THE RESTAURANT business since I was a kid and, basically, I never left. In my more than 30 years in the quick-service space, I worked my way up to become COO at Whata burger and then moved on to become CEO at Bojangles Restaurants, COO at Jacks Family Restaurants, and now, CEO at Shipley. What I love about Shipley is its rich history as an iconic Texas brand that is so beloved. Shi pley is a part of their lives—it’s where they went with their grandparents, parents and now their kids, making memories while enjoying The World’s Greatest Do-Nut together. Shipley was family owned until 2021, and under our new ownership, we are focusing on growth and inno vation for our next 85 years. We are unifying and updating the company’s systems and processes so we can scale for rapid growth and support

people realize that Shipley is not only the best do-nut around but that we also offer great coffee to go with it. But growth is the biggest story for us right now. We have agreements in place to expand our footprint into Georgia and Maryland and increase our presence in existing markets. We’re still building out Dallas-Fort Worth and expanding across north, south, and central Texas. We believe we will double in size over the next f ive years. We’ve also entered our largest community partnership to date as the Off icial Coffee, Cold Brew, and Do-Nut of the Houston Cougars. This multi-year part nership with University of Houston Athletics will help them build their new stadium and bring awareness of our brand to new visiting teams and fans as they enter the Big 12. 

SHIPLEY DO-NUTS

120 INDUSTRY-WIDE ISSUE

MARCH 2023