To Build a Bakery is an ongoing series from Craft to Crumb featuring the stories of growth for bakeries of all scales. From establishing a first brick-and-mortar location to multiple shops and beyond, the series connects with bakers from across the country about how they’re scaling up their businesses. If you would like your bakery’s story to be considered for the series, please email Annie Hollon at annie@avantfoodmedia.com.
SARASOTA, FL — Major players in the retail bakery space may be more recognizable, but it’s the hometown shops that make their mark on communities. When a niche needs filling, what’s a baker to do but step up and provide for the community?
When Christine Nordstrom saw a lack of raised donuts where she lives in Sarasota, FL, she decided to take matters into her own hands, opening Five-O Donut Co. in May 2017. The path has been one of many learnings — and donut varieties. Today, the brand boasts five locations — three in Sarasota proper, one in Ellenton, FL, and one in Bradenton, FL — and bakes out of a 2,000-square-foot commissary in its Bradenton shop.
Changing Course
While this venture was Christine’s first in the donut space, she was no stranger to the baking industry or to owning and operating a business.
Christine, who holds a culinary and business management degree from Johnson & Wales University, built several businesses since moving to Florida in 2001: a scratch bakery, two small cafes, a commercial kitchen, and a business that supplied baked goods at about 15 farmers markets every week.
“I had existing businesses when I started, but I wanted to diversify and get into something else,” Christine shared, stressing the need for dynamic yeast-raised donuts in Sarasota.
With an abundance of food industry experience, Christine felt it was time to transition to an owner vs. operator role.
“I started Five-O because I wanted to control my time and choose which 80 hours out of the week I want to work, not have them chosen for me,” she said. “That’s what makes me happiest, being in control of my time.”
After a conversation with a friend over lunch in 2016, inspiration struck to open a donut shop.
“I didn’t want to have any donut shop; I wanted to create a brand,” Christine shared. “I had already done the bakery thing, and I already knew how to create a job for myself, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to create something with legs that could be expanded outside of Sarasota. Something that would be recognizable and that people could connect and relate with.”
The Five-O Donut name was one she threw out randomly as an option during the meal, and it stuck, opening the door for the police-themed donut brand complete with product “lineups” and a loyalty program for returning customers dubbed “repeat offenders.” Over the course of that same meal, Christine came up with the name, secured the website and confirmed no one else held the trademark. The next step was learning how to make donuts.
Making the Rounds
She found support through Dawn Foods, whom she calls a catalyst in her donut-making trajectory. The company has helped Christine troubleshoot various issues ranging from adjusting formulas to combatting Florida’s humidity to achieving donut quality to even training employees.
Her partnership with the ingredient supplier has also given way to innovation. In addition to traditional yeast-raised donuts, Five-O also offers gluten-free and vegan options made with Dawn’s vegan donut mix and a blend that includes a gluten-free cake mix. Though the menu items make up a small piece of the business, consistent customer demand makes them a mainstay.
One menu standout is the Giant Donut Cake, which consists of 10-inch donut tiers complete with frosting and festive toppers and is available in the traditional yeast-raised or vegan. A classic one-layer cake, which feeds up to eight people, rounds out at about $19. Compared to the price of a dozen for the brand, customers can save a couple of dollars by choosing the donut cake and bring something unconventional to their celebrations.
“We’ve been selling a ton of those to cost-conscious consumers,” she shared, noting that the donut cakes are less expensive than a standard dozen. “It’s something I’ve really started pushing in the last six months to a year because people are very conscious about costs. Instead of making the donuts smaller or reducing the product line, we’ve done this and it’s been working really well.”
Game-Changing Upgrades
At Five-O’s start, the bakery team was frying donuts in-house within a couple hundred square feet at the back of its flagship location. Now, the donut bases are crafted off-site at the Bradenton location’s 2,000-square-foot commissary.
The facility features a full hood with four fryers — three regular and one specifically for vegan donuts — a mono-sheeter, mixers, and proof boxes, which are essential when dealing with Florida heat and humidity. The whole space can be viewed through a 30-foot-long fishbowl window, allowing patrons on the retail side of the shop an inside look at operations.
“Most donut people come in and start working at 2 a.m., and my staff starts in the afternoon the day prior,” she shared. “They have everything cooled and packed up by 11 p.m. for a driver to come, load the van and drive out to the four other locations. It takes them about three hours to do all that, and then the decorating staff comes in between 5 and 5:30 a.m. at each location.”
The commissary side of the business rounds out at six bakers, with two drivers getting product to the other locations. The hub-and-spoke model offers quality control for the donuts and makes the other locations asset- and labor-light.
Locking Up Locations
Five-O’s footprint has ebbed and flowed, now standing at five brick-and-mortar shops. Getting to this point, however, didn’t come without trials and tribulations.
After opening the original location in May 2017, Christine opened a second store just nine months later to alleviate the foot traffic. Instead, the new location added another revenue stream, paving the way for a third store, which opened in 2020.
She went on to open four more shops between 2022 and 2024, although two have since closed.
Christine also closed her other businesses, setting her focus solely on how and where to expand Five-O Donut. Evaluating the next steps is a constant part of the operation, especially with the commissary’s current capacity.
“Even now, I evaluate how long I have left on each lease and if it’s worth it to keep it or not,” she shared. “My commissary can handle about nine or 10 stores, and we’re running five right now.”
A Community Pillar
Beyond offering vibrant sweet treats, Five-O Donut is also a force for good in Sarasota. Located in an area that is no stranger to inclement weather, Christine is adamant about using the stores as a resource during difficult times.
“Every year after there’s a hurricane, it’s devastating to our community,” Christine shared. “I stay in the area, and we immediately reopen the stores that have power and pass out ice. We tell people to come for AC and to use our WiFi.”
The team even goes so far as to step outside of its normal fare, offering sandwiches, hot dogs and coffee to residents affected by the natural disasters. Most recently, Five-O Donut opened four of its locations following Hurricane Helene to help those in need. Supporting the community is an extension of the brand and another way to create repeat customers — or as they’re called at Five-O, repeat offenders.
“Whenever you have something happen in your community, as long as your responsive, that’s how you build loyalty,” she shared. “It has nothing to do with donuts. It has to do with the emotion that you elicit in your community.”
Scouting a Patrol Partner
Eight years in, Christine still does it all: payroll, management, running the website, posting on social media and much more. With the brand where she wants it, Christine is keen on finding a business partner that can take Five-O Donut to the next level.
“I don’t want another loan or anything like that,” she said. “I’m looking more for a partnership, because I can’t maintain doing everything on my own, especially if I’m considering any sort of an expansion.”
Five-O Donut has become a hallmark of Sarasota, a status that Christine embraces. She keeps looking forward, with hopes to open more locations, add products and hone in on quality.
Being on the sweet goods beat has brought with it plenty of lessons, among the biggest being able to roll with the punches during challenging times such as store closings or economic hardships. Yet, Christine noted she’s learned that donuts go beyond the product itself.
“People use food to celebrate, and they’re inviting you to be a part of that,” she said. “It’s a really important thing to be aware of when you step into that sector because you are being invited into those customers’ lives. And if you do it well, they come back to you over and over again.”
